The 'Hug'
by dooder's nin
Summary: Insults and retaliations over misconceptions between America and England go on a different path when a curse is interrupted. Understanding its different layers of meaning requires an understanding the layers of each other as England, France and Canada attempt to care for their friend,ally and family. Perhaps all that's needed is to listen to Italy's plan and just cure it with a hug
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't too different a day than any other when comparing one day to another, but the buildup to that particular day meant that things were a little different. With the end of winter came other seasonal storms and events that could be as chaotic as the personification of its country. Tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, brushfires, drought, and heatwaves could be occurring in different parts of the country and Alfred had been feeling a migraine coming on with the first forecast of a sub-tropical storm that was being broadcast for people to keep an eye on. He had mostly disregarded the throbbing headache he'd had for the past couple of days, used to them by now. And despite what everyone else thought of him, he was familiar with how to handle a cold. His other antics were done mostly to get a ruse out of the other nations – even though there were plenty of moments of genuine childishness, but he couldn't help himself. It always felt better to keep optimistic and smile more than to be as grouchy as some of the other personifications. But with the migraine he was getting, Alfred began to wonder if maybe they were all experiencing such pains all the time.

He smirked a little as he filled his thermos with some coffee before grabbing one of the folders with his speeches for the meeting he was supposed to be attending the next day. Alfred took a sip and waited for the caffeine to work its wonders before glancing at his watch and realizing that he'd better start heading to the airport if he was to keep from receiving the usual call from his boss to remind him that he was running behind. But he figured that, as usual, he could just make his typical entrance to these world meetings whether on time or not. It wasn't like he'd be missing anything other than the usual bickering, although he did always find it amusing. He and his brother often spent some time commenting on the European propensity for holding what were now ridiculous grudges, Matthew typically finding a way to make his brother laugh. When he wasn't being invisible to even Alfred with his disappearing skills, Alfred had to admit that his northern neighbor and brother had a pretty good sense of humor. Just looking at the amount of Canadian comedians working in Hollywood was good enough evidence to support that, but Matthew was content where he was for the most part. Alfred considered calling him from his car as he pulled away from his house with his luggage and obligatory travel snacks, but figured that it was likely his brother was also somewhat affected by the rains that were traveling along the eastern area of his territory. But just as he was about to drop the idea entirely, his brother's number showed up on his car's Bluetooth system. He chuckled at his brother's apparent psychic skills and answered.

"Hey Mattie!" Alfred said with as much enthusiasm he could muster to keep his highly observant brother from worrying. "I was just about to call ya! I'm on my way to the airport now. We still plannin' on carpoolin' to the hotel from the airport? My boss was cool with it…sorta…" he said, taking another sip of his drink.

"Hi Alfred." Mathew's more quiet voice responded. "I was just checking on that. I'm good with that plan, but I wanted to know if you were feeling alright? I know I'm feeling a little under the weather with the connection to the land and all, but I also know you have that nasty habit of not getting enough sleep." Mathew said, Alfred sighing as his brother reprimanded him. There were times when Canada's prolonged attachment to England left him wondering how much of Arthur's personality was irreversibly ingrained in him, particularly the nagging to get him to watch himself a little better.

"Yes Mattie. It's ten o'clock and all's well." Alfred sarcastically replied. "Got a good, solid five hours in before I grabbed my stuff and jumped in the truck. I'll be fine and dandy for y'all when I give my speech - not that any of the other nations would get my meaning." He said, thinking back over how ridiculously insane the reactions were to his proposal for a marketing scheme of 'Globalman' to raise awareness and funds to combat global warming. He did get to be a superpower for a reason and with some issues, he knew marketing was the first step. Just like with his numerous other big-time corporations, the food industry one of his favorite. Still, he thought building a humongous robot-like thing would have been cool anyway without having a reason to build it.

"Easy Alfred…" Mattie answered with a bit of humor in his voice. "No need to get all worked up cowboy. And clearly something's wrong, eh? You slip into one of your other accents when you're losing your focus." Mattie said, Alfred wincing as he knew his brother found him out. "I know you spent some time in the Midwest recently, but try and not overwhelm the other nations. You know what happened the last time you showed up with that southern drawl of yours and you're on your own with France if that happens." Mattie said, laughing over the phone at the image of the last world meeting America had shown up to with his southern dialect. France hadn't heard that in a while and had been more out of it than usual with his preoccupation with romanticism, spouting out all sorts of recommendations when he recognized that accent as belonging to Louisiana.

"Thanks Mattie. Feelin' the brotherly love here." Alfred replied, not bothering to try and revert back to the usual accent the other nations recognized as the standard American accent. "But I got it. I'll be right as rain in no time. Speaking of which, you gettin' those headaches too?" He said as he neared the airport.

"Yeah…but it's not too bad. I actually get to sleep at night, eh?" Mathew teased. "But seriously Al, you know how we can be susceptible to regular colds too so take something on the plane. Okay?" He said, earning another sigh from Alfred who pulled up to the building for the plane his boss had assigned him. He parked the car and leaned back into the seat.

"Yeah. Will do, bro." Alfred said. "It's about eleven hours from here to London so I should get some sleep on the plane." He said, knowing that he still had plenty of files he needed the time to look over rather than sleep for the entire trip. He knew Matthew might say something, knowing his work ethic was far stricter than the other nations realized, overlooking that feature of America, but Canada didn't push him any further.

"Alright Al. I'm taking off now so I'll talk to you later. Take care." Mathew said before hanging up after a brief goodbye from Alfred. Taking a deep breath and rubbing his forehead, Alfred finally got out of his car and started to take his luggage out, thanking the airport workers who assisted him. He took his seat, sinking into it as he tried to get comfortable. He pulled out the file he'd been looking at before he left, the plane starting to take off. He looked out the window before turning back to his stack of papers, internally cringing at his complete lack of desire to do anything other than maybe throw on a good movie and take a nap.


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred was jostled awake as the plane was about to land when one of the flight attendants startled him awake. He winced as he realized his headache hadn't gone away as he'd been hoping, before wondering just when he had nodded off.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to startle you." The young woman said. "But we are about to land so I thought it best you get yourself situated." She said with an apologetic smile. Alfred nodded and flashed her his usual wide grin in thanks, the woman walking away to leave him to his business.

Once the plane landed and his things carried off, mostly by himself, he quickly found his brother and the two made their way to their rented car. They stuffed their bags into the trunk and backseat, Alfred surprised to see that Matthew had already gotten his bear situated in the back without having noticed it. The bear cocked his head as he looked at him before asking his usual question, likely looking for someone to give him some food. Alfred answered and tossed him a candy bar he'd had on him, motioning for the bear to not to say anything, knowing his brother might not agree with his choice of snack.

"Hey Matt…." Alfred said as he shut the car door as gently as he could to keep from making things louder than necessary. "You mind drivin'?" he asked, his brother looking surprised.

"Y-yeah, sure. No problem, eh?" Matthew said, getting in the driver's seat. "You don't usually let me take control though…" he said, suspiciously looking over his brother with worry clearly on his face. It was true that his brother was more of a go-getter and didn't often let anyone else take the reins on things, even their little games of catch.

"Yeah, but I can never get the hang of these backwards roads and directions." Alfred said as he sat in the passenger seat, reclining the back a little. "Don't know why Arthur doesn't just use my system. It'd be so much better. Maybe he'd stop bein' such a grouch to me if he just admitted how awesome…" Alfred began before his brother playfully shoved him on the shoulder.

"Stop. We haven't even seen him yet. And he's only grouchy when you start saying that sort of stuff to him." Matthew said as they drove, Alfred making a grunting noise as a response as he looked out the window. "But it's still true. Don't know why you don't use my measuring system either…" Alfred mumbled, earning a heavy sigh from Canada.

"We've had this conversation several times Alfred. Get over it." Matthew said, wincing as he slammed on the brakes to avoid rear-ending a stopped car he hadn't expected. "Sorry, sorry…." He mumbled as Alfred winced and held his head from the motion. "Your headache still bothering you too?" Matthew asked before answering his bear to keep Kumajirou from trying to climb into the front.

"Now it is…" Alfred grumbled, but Matthew could tell he was still out of sorts. Alfred readjusted and was about to nod off when his brother's voice woke him. "You know you still have that accent you were talking with earlier. I know you don't realize it sometimes, all nations do that sometimes, but if you're going to keep trying to pull this act like you're not feeling poorly around the others – especially Arthur – you should try a little harder with the accent." Matthew said, earning a sigh from Alfred.

"Oh, man…" Alfred whined, sounding more like his usual speech. "I thought I was back to usual before I got on the plane. No wonder I got some funny looks from the pilots. Pretty sure they never heard me use any other accent." Alfred said as he thought back on how the pilots had seemed a little surprised. "Oh well. They know who I am so it shouldn't 've been a surprise…" he said around a yawn.

"Yeah…" Matthew said with a laugh. "Well the hotel for the conference isn't too far away and you can get some sleep." He said, glancing over to find his brother with his eyes closed already. The rest of the ride was short, Matthew dreading the task of trying to wake his brother once he parked. Alfred could sleep through one of his own earthquakes and waking him was usually quite a process. But Matthew couldn't stifle the laugh that escaped when it seemed his bear had enough of sitting in the back with the bags and had climbed over the armrest to land on America, his weight hitting a sensitive area that had Alfred wake up immediately.

"Gah! Matt! Get your bear off…." Alfred grumbled as he gasped from the unexpected hit, not appreciating the lack of sympathy from his brother. Alfred pushed the polar bear off him and tumbled out of the car, holding himself while lying on the ground.

"Well Bonjour America." Alfred heard, cracking open an eye to see France standing nearby with an amused look on his face. "Whatever could be ze matter?" he asked as Canada got out of the car, still laughing.

"Nothing. Go away." Alfred muttered, getting to his feet. But Francis continued to linger, looking over to his former colony for some answer. "Mattie, don't…" Alfred warned but his brother had already started explaining to France. Alfred chose to take the mature route and simply ignored them as he grabbed his stuff, his headache making things louder and brighter than they should have been.

"Oh hon hon hon…" Francis said as he helped Matthew with his things. "Are you sure you don't need help America? After such a hit to one's vital regions…" he began to tease, America shaking his head.

"Ha ha…" Alfred said. "You'd have the most experience with dealing with that kind of injury, huh France?" Alfred teased back, finding the banter easing his grumpy mood and making his attempt to keep things normal easier for him.

"Oh, I think he got you there France" Matthew said with a smirk, the older blonde smiling at the light-hearted atmosphere. "Well, perhaps…But you two are more than welcome to join me…" France began, but received identical eye-rolls from the two North American countries as expected. "No? Well, you are better company than Angleterre at the moment. Or any time really. He's no time for our usual talks when he's hosting and a complete bear." France said with a shrug, Kumajiro turning to look up at the word 'bear' but not finding any treats offered to him, continued to follow Canada. Matthew laughed at his bear's moodiness over having to walk to the room rather than be carried like usual.

"Well, maybe that's just special for you France" Alfred said, thanking the woman behind the desk once they received their room cards. "Only you get that particular brand of English gentlemanliness or whatever…" He said, readjusting his grip on one of his bags. His strength made carrying them easier than should have been possible for anyone else, even for some of the other nations. But his focus was more scattered than usual and France had to catch one of the bags to avoid getting hit with it. "Oh, oops?" Alfred said as Francis handed it back with a chuckle.

"Anyway. I'll be seeing you two later for dinner, yes?" France asked as they reached Matthew's room. Canada opened his door to let his bear inside, the animal making straight for the bed to curl up on. He dropped his bags, Francis handing him the one he'd carried for him.

"I'll be there." Matthew said with his usual soft smile to Francis as he walked inside. "It's in an hour right?" he asked to be sure, receiving a nod from the European nation who then turned to Alfred.

"Oh, um…I'm not really all that hungry. I'll get to it at some point maybe. See you around." Alfred said with a small nod of his head before he continued down the hall to the elevator to get to his own room. His brother and France stood speechless as they watched him leave before Francis turned back to Matthew.

"I…don't think I've ever heard him refuse food." He said, looking curiously at Canada who looked worried. "The only time that's happened was when he was still small and went to comfort Angleterre instead of partaking of my delicious food." France said, Canada well aware of how his brother had chosen Arthur as his caretaker, unable to staunch his desire to be a hero and comfort those he saw as troubled.

"I'm…I'm sure he's already eaten. He probably has some last minute stuff he wants to work on and doesn't want anyone to think he's lazy." Matthew said. "But, just in case…I'll check in on him later." He said, France silently nodding before he said his goodbyes. Canada sighed as he shut his door, looking over at his sleeping bear as he wondered how to gently encourage his brother to take it easy.


	3. Chapter 3

As Matthew had expected, Alfred did eventually show up for dinner. Arthur had predictably berated him for not bothering to attempt to be punctual like a proper gentleman, but Alfred simply waved him off until France redirected his ire. Catching his gaze, Alfred mouthed a thanks to the other nation as he slouched in his chair. Dinner was as eventful as usual with the other nations, although Canada noticed how less involved his brother was despite the obvious effort he was putting in to be sociable. Only a few nations ever made the effort to host a formal dinner before the actual meeting when they were hosting, but England had always insisted upon at least the illusion of civility among the nations.

"You are not eating as much as usual Amerika, da?" Russia asked as he sat across from the table, looking innocently curious. But the other nation clearly knew that such a comment would gain more attention than it warranted. Alfred sighed at the Russian's usual blatant remark to him, used to the typical jabs to him. Canada tensed as he realized that Ivan's remark had indeed garnered plenty of attention, including the Englishman who was trying not to appear concerned.

"Nah…but I'm good. Even I can be full sometimes." Alfred said, attempting to give a joking tone to his response. He leaned forward as though to share a secret with the other nation, Russia curiously leaning across the table a little more. "Plus, it's _English_ food, dude. Already stomached plenty a' that…" he said with a chuckle that sounded fake to even his own ears, but convincing enough to Arthur who huffed at that.

"Ah yes. I understand vhat you mean now." Russia said, pulling back with his typical smile in place. "I thought you might have decided to go on that diet Britain suggested to you at the last meeting." He said, continuing with his own meal with a cheerfulness that came from knowing he'd hit a sore spot.

"What? You…when did he say that?" America said, the other nearby nations shifting a little as they sensed an argument. While that itself wasn't too worrisome at these sorts of gatherings, Russia and America were known for some more edgy situations. "Dude, you callin' me fat? Again? All that vodka mess with your eyesight?" America asked with a scowl, Russia's apparent enjoyment over making America uncomfortable only making the agitation the other was experiencing all the worse.

"I vas only curious. It vould not be a bad thing to consider." Ivan said with a shrug. "And do not insult my vodka. It is a quality drink that…"

"It's tasteless and it's worse than the scum at the bottom of a cup of tea." America said, receiving an unamused look from Russia as the two of them leveled their gazes at each other. Some of the more flighty nations got up from their seats, England looking ready to intervene despite the jab to his favorite drink. "I like the flavored ones better than what I usually see you drink. You ever try the root beer one from, uh….what was the company….Smirnoff, I think. That ain't too bad." Alfred said, seeing the chance to steer out of any argument that he wasn't up to putting his all into that night.

"Oh, you like the root beer one? Is not too bad, but I prefer the watermelon. Makes me think of summer." Ivan said, leaning back more in his seat as the two began to discuss different flavors they'd had. Matthew let out a sigh of relief at his brother's rare ability to read the atmosphere for once, seeing several others looking more relaxed after too. The rest of dinner was relatively quick, as it seemed England wasn't too keen on letting another argument between America and Russia build up with extra time, wanting to keep Russia's pipe and America's gun hidden wherever they were. As everyone said their farewells until the meeting, Arthur attempted to act as the gracious host by going through a mental list of what to include or exclude for the end meal of the conference. Wrapped up in thought, he found himself spun around and facing an angry American.

"Hello Alfred." Arthur said with an attempt to remain cordial as he straightened out his shirt, using the other nation's human name in an effort to keep things less hostile. "What can I…"

" _Don't_ …" Alfred started, clenching his eyes shut as his head throbbed. "Just don't pretend to be a 'gentleman' when you stoop to having _Ivan_ fling _your_ insults at me 'cuz I stopped listening to them you limey bastard. That was a low blow and you know how much I hate some of your underhanded moves you think you can make to try and pull one over on me when you're not gettin' whatever it is you want. And you call _me_ a child. So just don't pretend you're gonna be all nice now. You don't normally have a problem with picking at what you see as flaws, so if there's something you _really_ feel the need to say to me, do it yourself." He ranted, leaving his former caretaker standing there stunned as he made to storm off.

"Excuse me?" Arthur said once he recovered his voice. "Are you implying that I have no dignity? First you insult my drink, no surprise there, but now you question my morals. You? You have no right…"

America scoffed as he turned back around to face Arthur, walking backwards as he did. "Of course I do when it's me you're insulting. But then again, you've never been very good at telling when you've gone too far." He said, eager to just get back to his room and taking the opportunity of a shocked England to leave.

Arthur stood there, unsure what to think about what Alfred had said to him. While their relationship had developed into a more friendly interaction, there were still moments that Britain as _Arthur_ felt nostalgic for the colony America as _Alfred_ had been. And he knew that Alfred had become aware of that, several drunken trips back from sharing a pint or two cluing even the oblivious Alfred into those feelings. They hadn't been true enemies since after the War of 1812, and it was only a select group of his population that even recalled that they had also been fighting in North America at the time too. But Arthur, as a nation, remembered and it was clear that so did Canada and America, but England was sure that the other hadn't harbored any of those lingering colonial sentiments he'd had toward him when he'd considered him a brother. And such an apparent use of his own feelings in America's insult made clear to Arthur that Alfred didn't care as much as he had hoped, even though it was Arthur that had suggested possibly ending their 'special relationship'. Gathering up his things and leaving the dining area, he huffed back to his room in an angry, hurt mood. A thought coming to mind, Arthur perused through one of his spell books that he liked to keep on him as a 'just in case' precaution. It wouldn't be the first time he'd thought of hitting America with one of his curses or spells, but he'd make sure Russia didn't interfere this time. Finding one that would cause a good amount of suffering, he felt justified in teaching America a lesson, thinking perhaps using the potentially lethal Busby chair the last time was a little much. Although he figured of all nations, America wouldn't actually be struck down by it. Shaking off that memory, Arthur began to chant the spell that would irritate the American to no end with its intended effect of being unable to speak for the meeting. As he was reaching the end, a knock on his door interrupted him, causing him to huff as he was forced to suspend his casting. He quickly placed his book down and opened the door, taking a deep breath to gather himself.

"Oh, hello….er….Canada." Arthur said, taking a moment to recall the other nation's name. "I wasn't expecting you. Is there something I can do for you? It is rather late…" Arthur said, genuine confusion in his voice. If it had been either America or France, he'd have not been too surprised at their sudden appearance.

"Yes. Sorry aboot that." Matthew said a little sheepishly. "I was just wondering if you knew where Alfred went." He explained as quickly as he could, already fidgeting under the undivided attention he was getting. "Um…I went to his room and knocked but he wouldn't answer. Francis said you were with him last so I thought I'd ask."

Arthur scowled at that, realizing that Francis had likely overheard the entire brief conversation. Seeing the quick mood swing, Matthew hastily began to try and politely excuse himself. "No, it's alright Matthew. It's not you I'm frustrated with at the moment. Yes, I did speak with him in the dining area but he stormed off. I assumed he'd gone to his room. If not, he's a big boy and can take care of himself as he so likes to remind me and anyone else who'll listen." Arthur said, not really easing Matthew's anxiety.

"Oh, alright then. Um…thanks Arthur." Matthew said, rushing to say his goodbye. "I'll try again in a little while. Goodnight." He said, briskly walking away as Arthur closed the door. The English man walked over to the nightstand and picked up his book, re-reading the information about the incantation. He sighed in frustration as he read that it was meant to be read in one continuous go, and after talking with Matthew, he didn't feel up to trying again. Slamming the book closed, he resolved to possibly try again in the morning if he was refreshed enough from the drain using magic had on him.


	4. Chapter 4

The nations were milling around in the large meeting room, idly chatting with one another before the meeting was to officially start. Arthur yawned before he could help it, hastily covering his mouth as he checked the time on his watch. There were only a few minutes left and the usual countries that ambled in late were still missing, although he was more interested in the missing Alfred. It was apparent that so was Matthew as he and Francis were conversing in rapid French, the language already putting him on edge. He had thought that he'd see Alfred at least at breakfast, but it seemed the other man had decided to skip that meal altogether. He was beginning to reconsider his earlier decision to not put the effort into casting that spell again as he felt his irritation begin to build.

"Here Britain, aru" Yao's voice said, startling Arthur out of his internal reverie as he realized the other nation had placed a cup of tea in front of him. "You have much on your mind at the moment and tea is always a good remedy for that." The Chinese personification said with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you China, I appreciate it" Arthur said, addressing the man by his nation-name while in the meeting room and taking the offered cup. "I suppose I have been a little preoccupied but I'm sure things will all work out soon. The meeting should be starting soon anyway." He said taking a sip.

"Ah, but it's not the meeting you've been worrying over." China said, taking a seat beside him. "I am always available to share my wisdom if you are in need of someone to listen." He offered, Arthur looking across the room to see that Matthew and Francis were not going to hear what he might say.

"I appreciate the offer, China, but I'm sure good old-fashioned British perseverance will pull me through in the end." Arthur said as he sat back in his chair. "But for conversation's sake…" he began, China giving him a knowing look that he understood the roundabout way Britain was taking to address his true feelings. "What do you normally do, should say, you and Japan get into some trivial argument. It's not of any great concern, but in case the matter should come up again…."

"You and America argued again and this time it was not over something so trivial as proper English." China interrupted, England looking as though he was ready to deny any such thing occurring. "Whatever the reason, America is a very passionate country and he most likely only got riled up because there was something deeply troubling him and it involved you somehow." China said, taking a sip of his own cup of tea. "Japan often argues with me and I am often still seeing him as the little boy I took care of. I have to remember that he is still that little boy, but he is also his own nation capable of his own reasoning and so I let him argue and then I tell him what I need to say when he needs to hear it." He said, England feeling his frustration grow at the form of advice the other nation was giving him.

"China, this does not exactly provide me with a method to deal with my arguments with America….you know, if we should find ourselves in such a predicament." Britain said, checking the time again.

"There is no one method Britain, aru" China said with a shrug. "Sometimes Japan as Kiku needs to hear what I have to say to him while we are arguing, sometimes much later. And sometimes, he needs to be shown rather than told." China said as Britain continued to shake his head. "It was difficult to do so during World War II, but in that example I needed to do both and to be firm about it. Other times, I can simply share a meal with him. And if he's particularly stubborn about letting me speak, I give him a hug…." China said with a smirk, Britain also smirking at the idea of a whining Japan only being released from the torturous physical contact of his older brother once China had shut him up and said what he needed to say.

"Well, that might not work in my case." Arthur said, standing up to head over to the podium to begin the meeting. "Maybe if I offer him ice cream?" He said with a smirk, China shaking his head in amusement at the suggestion as he went over to his seat, deliberately patting Japan on the shoulder as he went and smiling as the other nation went wide-eyed as the surprise touch. Japan looked as though ready to brace himself for more once he saw it was his brother, but England saw him let out a sigh of relief at seeing China continue to his seat.

"Alright, if I may have all nations' attention and call you to your seats, I will begin the meeting with the customary host address and open the floor to the…." Britain began, only to have America burst through the doors.

"Hey everybody! Hero's here!" America said, apparently having sprinted to the meeting room as he was out of breath. "Sorry England. Didn't mean to rain on your parade; the weather outside already beat me to it." He said with a laugh as he walked to his seat, some nations joining in as they noticed that it was once again raining outside the window. "Overslept. But hey, did you know…"

"Thank you America. We can all rest easy now that you've graced us with your presence." Britain sarcastically remarked, shuffling the papers he had in front of him as he looked away.

"I know, right? Hero's here to protect everybody." America said, flashing his usual grin as he began to pull out his own folders. Britain rolled his eyes, but continued on as he planned, getting through his opening speech quickly and opening the floor. He reluctantly took his seat beside America, thanking China again in his head for having brought him some tea.

"Psst….Britain." America's voice disturbed his thoughts about an hour into the meeting while Spain was talking, earning another sigh from the older nation. He turned to look at America, using all the patience he thought he could muster. "Hey dude, sorry about last night. I was in a bad mood and shouldn't have snapped at you." He said, surprising Britain. But America had been known to occasionally admit to his mistakes and show the maturity he boasted about to apologize.

"Well, quite right." Britain said with a nod, getting a small smile that looked a little strained to him. "I forgive you so long as you actually mean it this time." He said, thinking back at the numerous pranks America had pulled on him over the years.

"Yeah, for sure. Trust me, will ya?" America said, Britain biting his tongue to keep from saying anything about his speech. "And, um…." America began, looking down as though embarrassed. "Could I…um…have a sip of your tea, please?" he asked, causing Britain to nearly spill the said cup.

"Excuse me? Say that again?" Britain asked a little louder than he had intended, gaining a few looks. America and Britain gave sheepish smiles to the other nations, Germany looking ready to call everyone's focus back into order again. "America, I just told you not to mess with me and the first thing you do after that is to…."

"No, seriously Iggy…" America said, slipping into his nickname for his former caretaker. "Please. I need a drink." America said, looking imploringly to Britain. "Please. I just need a sip. Promise not to down it."

Britain looked curiously at the man sitting next to him, before nodding and sliding over his cup. America shot him a grateful smile before taking a sip and handing it back as promised. "Thanks Iggy." He said to a startled Britain, the two lapsing into silence for a while.

America presented and Britain was surprised to find that he kept it short and to the point this time, sitting back down with plenty of his allotted time to spare. But none of the other nations seemed to complain, Russia launching into some topic of his own to fill the time. Britain did his best to remain calm like usual instead of bombarding the other with questions like he normally would have done, only realizing much later into the meeting that he and France hadn't squabbled once. He looked over to France as he realized this, only to have America grasp his arm.

"I-Iggy…" America's voice shakily asked. "Can you read this for me? I…um…I'm having a little trouble with that right now." He said, earning the other's full attention.

"Come on now. What's all this about? Those glasses of yours are more for show than anything." Britain said, looking at America and seeing the distress on the other's face. "Are you alright lad?" Britain asked, wondering if the spell he'd been two-thirds of the way through had affected the other man anyway. Grabbing America's chin to get him to look up at him, he saw out of the corner of his eye Canada watching their moves.

"Yeah… of course. I'm the hero…." He said, following it with a tiny laugh as he pulled away to grab at his papers. However, in his haste to prove himself fine, a few fell off the desk. "Ooops, I got 'em" America said, swiftly bending over to grab the papers. As soon as he did though, he realized how wrong a move that was as the pressure in his head increased and his already migraine-induced vision problems increased. "Uh oh…" he quietly mumbled to himself as he felt himself slipping out of the chair and feeling unable to catch himself. He crashed to the floor, hearing Britain shout his name as he did. America took a moment to let himself get his bearings as much as he could, Britain helping to right him back in his chair.

"America, are you alright?" Germany asked, looking unsure if he should be worried or annoyed at the American's antics.

"All good. Keep goin'. Is it time for lunch yet?" America rushed out in one breath, noticing Canada by his side too. Germany sighed and shook his head, figuring that all must be well if America was asking for more food.

"Yes, I suppose ve can break now for lunch. Everybody be back in one hour." He said, effectively dismissing them despite that supposedly being Britain's duty. Nations sporadically left the room, but America found himself with Canada and Britain not moving from his side, France lingering back a little.

"No lies Alfred. How are you really doing?" Matthew asked as Alfred tried to stand again, only to have Arthur push him back down. America sighed but let himself sit down again.

"I dunno Mattie. It just sorta hit me real bad all of a sudden. The letters on the page keep disappearing here and there and I'm tired. I didn't get much sleep last night after I went for a walk. You know, tryin' to clear my head and all." Alfred said, doing his best to focus on Matthew. "Kinda feel like I'm…I'm…"

"Moving through water?" Arthur asked with worry in his voice. If he remembered right, there might have been something about that on the page he was looking at the previous night. Alfred looked over to Arthur and nodded.

"Mattieu, come with me and we will get him something to drink and something to munch on to help him think better. It should help enough to get him to his room and get some medicine in him, right Arthur? You will stay with him until we get back?" Francis asked once he realized that a cooperative America was a particularly ill America. Arthur nodded as Francis pulled Matthew away, saying they would be back shortly.

"There now, we'll help you get sorted right away. Not to worry, poppet." Arthur said, brushing a few hairs out of Alfred's face. He placed his hand on the other's forehead, relieved to find he hadn't developed any fever at least for the present time. Alfred nodded but remained quiet, shifting a little in his chair. A shimmering over by the window caught Arthur's attention, the older blonde looking over to see a couple of fairies that had gotten inside and were looking to mess with something out in the hall. "Oh, of all the times for them to…don't move Alfred, I'll be right back." Arthur said, although Alfred looked to be close to sleeping sitting up. He checked to make sure he wouldn't topple out of his seat again and rushed out into the hallway to control the fairies the other nation repeatedly told him weren't real, rounding the corner to keep them contained long enough to deal with them.

"I told you Romano, I can't leave that white flag behind. I might need it and it's the prettiest one I have." Feliciano said as he and his brother walked back into the room, missing Arthur's exit. "I'll be quick. You're such a good brother to come with me."

The darker skinned Italian rolled his eyes as he followed his brother into the room. "Yeah, yeah…" He grumbled, but the look in his eyes showed he appreciated the comment. "Potato-bastard made me come under threat of locking me in with France the next chance he got. Just hurry up…oh, America's still here." Romano said, noticing the sleeping nation.

"Oh, he won't want to miss lunch." Feliciano said, prized white flag in hand. "I'll just gently wake him up and maybe he'll want to join us for pasta, hmm?" he said cheerily to his brother.

"Don't touch him. Leave him alone and let's get going. You have your damned flag." Romano said, a little creeped out by how still the normally hyperactive nation was, reminding him of his own energetic brother. But Feliciano disregarded what he said and began to poke Alfred repeatedly in the shoulder.

"Ve~, America…America…." Feliciano whispered, resorting to pushing more on Alfred's shoulder, jostling him so that he fell forward on to the desk in front of him before sliding to the floor, remaining unconscious. "Ahhh!" Feliciano yelled, running to his brother and grabbing him in a tight hold.

"Whoa, you killed him…"Romano said as he struggled to get his brother off of him so he could see for himself what was wrong with America.

"Oh no! No! I didn't mean to!" Feliciano said, detaching himself from his brother's side and rushing out of the room. "Germany! Germany! America's dead! Waaahhh!" He shouted out as he passed Arthur and a few other lingering nations, Romano following after him and shouting for him to stop. Arthur dropped his hold on the window he'd opened to eject the troublesome fairies out of the building, his eyes wide at Italy's pronouncement. He sprinted past the curious Spain, Prussia and Germany, all of whom understood to get out of his way. Seeing Alfred on the floor, he gently rolled him onto his back and lifted him into his lap.

"Alfred? Alfred, lad, wake up. Joke's over." Arthur said as he looked over the man he knew he still considered to be like his brother. The other nations entered the room, watching Arthur's every move.

"Out of the way, s'il vous plait! Make way!" Francis' voice startled Arthur into looking up as Francis pushed his way into the room, dragging a worried-looking Matthew behind him. "What is Feliciano yelling about? What's wrong with Alfred?" Matthew said as he knelt next to Arthur, panic in his eyes. Arthur didn't know how to respond, bending over to check on Alfred.

"He's breathing. He's just out cold." Arthur said, a relieved look on his face. "But we still need to get him back to his room. Help me carry him Francis." Arthur said, but Matthew scooped up his brother and began to walk back out without leaving time for the others to say anything.


	5. Chapter 5

Reaching his room, Matthew shifted his hold ever so slightly on his sleeping brother to be able to pull out the card to open his door. Immediately he was greeted by his polar bear, curious to know who was visiting him.

"Kuma, its Canada. Get off the bed." Matthew said, the bear complying with the urgency in his master's voice, even if it was still softer than the one's in his arms. Matthew laid Alfred on the bed as Francis and Arthur caught up to him, catching the door before it shut and locked on them.

"Matthew…" Arthur said, unaware of how strong the other could be when necessary. But he and Francis were both secretly thankful that the other North American had taken the initiative and carried the unconscious nation. Arthur was well aware of his difficulty in carrying Alfred, who was heavier than he looked, missing those brief moments when he'd been able to easily to do so with a tiny colonial America. And he was certain Francis wouldn't have been able to handle that on his own much better either.

"Calm down Mathieu, I'm sure he just needs to sleep off whatever it is that's ailing him." Francis said, yet again preferring the French pronunciation of the other's name. "You got him here safe and sound so take a deep breath." He said, placing an arm around Matthew's shoulders that the other nation didn't feel the urgent need to cast off like the other times Francis' hands had wandered. Instead, he let himself lean into the comfort of his other former caretaker as he was guided to one of the seats.

Arthur meanwhile was struggling to pull Alfred's beloved bomber jacket off of him, all the time worried over whether or not his actions the other night had anything to do with the state of Alfred. "Francis, can you help me with the lump over here?" Arthur called out, the other nation sensing another meaning behind the request. Patting Matthew on the shoulder once more, Francis walked over to help gently lift Alfred up to take his jacket off to make him more comfortable.

"What is ze matter zat you did not want Mathieu to know?" Francis whispered, looking over to see Kuma pawing at his owner's leg and effectively taking his attention off of them.

"I'm worried about what he said. A regular headache doesn't wipe someone out like this – especially him." Arthur said as he worked to take off Alfred's more bulkier articles of clothing to let him rest easy. "I doubt he took anything for it either."

"Oui, but I can't imagine where he picked up that stubbornness…" Francis said with a smirk to Arthur, hoping to ease a little of the other's tension. "Matthew, can you go and get us a soda from the vending machine? We should try and coax him into taking some medicine and you know how difficult that can be." Arthur said, Matthew nodding in understanding.

"I've got a bottle of stuff in my bag that he can use, eh. Since we were both getting those headaches – that time of year after all for migraines." Matthew said, getting up from his seat to rifle through his bathroom supplies. "Winter was particularly brutal this year and I'm not surprised he was a little wiped out. We spent at least a full two weeks at my place trying to get some warmth back into us…" Matthew said with a small smile, looking ready to start in on the predictable questions about what might be wrong with Alfred to the other two in the hopes they'd give him an easy answer.

"I'm sure he nearly ate you out of house and home in that time, too." Arthur said as he looked to Matthew. "But he's nearly impossible to wake up on a good day, so don't worry. Some medicine and some sleep and he'll be annoying us all again in no time. Do you have a cup in here we can use?" Arthur asked, getting up from beside Alfred to walk over to the coffee maker in the room.

"Why would we….oh, yes…I think that is a good idea." Francis said as he figured out Arthur's plan. "You often had to resort to putting medicine in sweet things for him when he was younger, no?" he asked with a chuckle, looking over to Matthew. "You could be just as bad, you know. If there wasn't a promise of something maple afterwards, heaven forbid I try and get you to listen." Francis said, amused by the light blush that was growing on Matthew's cheeks as the discussion turned to more embarrassing child stories of himself and Alfred. Stuttering out a denial of anything like that, Matthew headed out the door to go get the asked for drink.

As soon as the door was shut, Francis rounded on Arthur. "Alright mon lapin, what else is there for me to know? And don't deny that you've something else you're worrying about. You look downright guilty." He said, Arthur sighing heavily.

"Even if we get him to take some medicine, it might not do anything for him." Arthur said, running a hand through his perpetually disheveled-looking hair. Francis looked confused, his expression pressing Arthur for more answers.

"Well then, as much as he would dislike it, we can bring him to a hospital." Francis suggested. "Surely you have one nearby staffed with those aware of who we are in case something like this happens."

Arthur continued to pace, looking more frustrated. "Yes, but that might not do any good either." He said, earning himself a frustrated sigh from Francis.

"Arthur, why not? What is going on?" Francis asked, getting up from his seat near Alfred to walk over to Arthur. The other man looked like he was struggling with whether or not to confide in the other nation. He mumbled something behind his hand, causing Francis to furrow his brow in confusion. "Come again mon ami?" he asked, receiving another mumble. Throwing his hands in the air at Arthur's behavior he was about to just return to checking over Alfred when Arthur nearly shouted, "I cursed him, alright?" he said, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself.

"What? Why? When?" Francis said with wide eyes. "What sort of curse?" he asked again, looking back to the sleeping Alfred.

"It was just supposed to make him unable to speak for the day; same as a case of laryngitis. I'd had enough of his complaining yesterday." Arthur said, defending himself. "But I only got partially through the spell before Matthew interrupted and I didn't try again. I didn't think it taken hold and I certainly didn't expect this." He said, gesturing to Alfred.

"Well then what do you suggest? We at least should tell…" Francis began, but the opening of the door interrupted his sentence.

"I got a regular coke bottle. That should be good, right?" Matthew said, putting his armful of snacks and drinks on the table. Seeing the other two eyeing the amount of stuff he brought back, he shrugged. "In case he wakes up. I know I'm being optimistic, but he's always hungry and I think he didn't stuff his pockets this morning with food like he normally does." He said, Arthur and Francis nodding in agreement at Matthew's foresight. Arthur took the medicine bottle and began to try and crush a couple of pills to mix with the coke.

"Don't tell Matthew." Arthur whispered to Francis, the other man looking less than pleased but complying with the other's wishes at least for the moment. Instead he stood out of the way and let Arthur try and fix what he believed was the result of his cursing. He walked over to Matthew who had picked up his bear and was sitting next to Alfred, sitting on the edge of the bed as they waited for Arthur to finish up.

"There. That should do it." Arthur said, standing alongside the bed to try and wake Alfred again. Gaining only a brief facial twitch, he resorted to trying to get him to drink the soda and medicine while still mostly asleep. Spilling a little as Alfred coughed at the drink, he downed the rest of it easily, blinking awake. "Easy there love, don't choke on it." Arthur said as Alfred finished. "You gave your brother and I quite a scare. Francis too." he said, Alfred lazily looking around at the others near him.

"You doing okay now Al?" Matthew asked as he leaned closer to his brother. "Don't worry, we gave you something for the headache. You should be able to just sleep it off." He said, but Alfred didn't look as relieved as Matthew had expected. He looked as though ready to try and sit up but sleep appeared to win out. One final movement had Matthew ending up as a substitute for a teddy bear.

"Oh hon hon hon…I think he just wants a cuddle. Stay with him and relax Mathieu." Francis said with a smile on his face as Matthew resigned himself to having to cuddle with his brother. But it wasn't like such a situation hadn't occurred before when one of them was ill or there had been a marathon of scary movies. "Arthur and I will leave you two to nap and we'll make sure Feliciano hasn't spread the word of Alfred's demise." He said with a smirk.

"Not that Alfred wouldn't mind the chance to make a dramatic return to the world stage. The git does love attention, doesn't he?" Arthur remarked, still a little worried. But Matthew laughed along with him and readjusted as much as he could within his brother's hold. He seemed content enough and closed his eyes, Arthur and Francis quickly and quietly leaving the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur nearly sprinted away from Francis as soon as the door was shut. But Francis was quick enough to catch a hold of his arm, trying to keep him from leaving them all in the dark with how he planned on rectifying things. Still, Arthur obviously preferred to not have Francis involved any more than he'd already been, attempting to fling him off. As the two struggled in the hallway, a sight not unfamiliar to the passing nations that glimpsed the two of them with a roll of their eyes, Germany came up and pulled the two apart.

"Enough. Ve need information and Italy's version of events leaves details….lacking." He said, being generous in his wording about his friend. "Are ve to assume things are back to normal with your fighting?"

Still frustrated with Francis, Arthur took the opportunity to stand a little straighter and find a way to continue on. "Everything's being handled but I would appreciate some semblance of privacy between us, if you don't mind." He said brushing past Ludwig, whose attention was back to the whimpering Feliciano as the Italian cowered behind him with a tight grip on his jacket.

"D-Don't let England get me Germany! It was an accident! Ve~" Feliciano said, providing enough of a distraction for Arthur to keep out of Francis' grasp.

"If you don't stop blocking ze 'ole hallway, _I'll_ be the one to knock you down." Francis said as he tried to continue after Arthur. But instead of Feliciano side-stepping to make room for him, he found himself constantly facing the Italian personification as Feliciano matched each direction Francis tried to walk, leaving them both in an awkward situation. Growling a little in frustration after calling out to Arthur, he simply grabbed the collar of Feliciano's shirt and handed him to Ludwig. Francis then took off after Arthur, certain the Englishman had gone back to his room to consult his book and knew he'd have a hard time getting any information from him.

"Wait! France!" Ludwig called after Francis, the Frenchman nearly bumping into Gilbert as he was walking up to join his brother in the chaos that he saw as ongoing.

"West, relax or you're going to match my hair color soon. Well, nothing quite as awesome as mine awesome looks, but you can try." Gilbert said, gaining a glare from his brother as expected. "But I take it that with the wimp still attached to you and how tightly you've set your jaw, you've got nothing." He said with a laugh.

"E-E-England's going to come-a after m-m-meeee…." Feliciano cried, burying his face in his friend's shoulder. "And Romano's not here to help me! He's hiding from France!" He mumbled out, Prussia laughing all the more. "I dunno why he's a-hiding…."

"Probably because he's smart." Gilbert said, Ludwig growling in frustration at his friend's constant clinging and his brother's insistence on making things more difficult for him. As it was, it seemed like none of the other nations were able to even pretend to focus on anything else other than the state of America after Italy ran screaming through the building in his haste to get away from England. "But France looks preoccupied with somebody else, as always. I find getting a few good beers in helps build some courage…" Gilbert said with a mischievous look as he patted Feliciano on the back in what could have been an encouraging manner.

"No Prussia. No getting drunk. It's not even late enough for you to be thinking about that." Ludwig said, but Feliciano looked like he was considering hiding in a bar if Ludwig and Prussia were going to be there too.

"It's always a good time for a beer." Prussia said with a look that made his brother roll his eyes again. "Besides, Antonio probably dragged Romano to the bar too. You can have a hug-fest there." Prussia said, Ludwig sighing as he realized he'd have no chance now of dissuading Feliciano from going for a drink.

"Fine. But I am not paying for all your drinks again." Ludwig said sternly to his brother, but its effect was lost as Prussia was apparently immune to that tone from his younger brother. He waved him off as the three headed down to the bar area of the hotel's dining area.

"America will be alright. And if not, it's a large and prominent country – there'll be another personification within the next couple of decades or so." Prussia said in a casual manner. But Feliciano gasped and looked about ready to cry again.

"Prussia" Ludwig groaned, rubbing his head with his hand. Feliciano stopped in his tracks and Prussia nearly stumbled over him. "What? As a former country, don't you think I'd know more about how personifications can work? I am awesome like that you know." Prussia said, either oblivious to the near meltdown that was about to occur or just apathetic.

"B-B-But, America wouldn't fade." Feliciano said, looking for Ludwig to support his statement. Prussia shrugged at that, pushing him to get him to continue walking toward the bar.

"No, he'd just be a body. Not all personifications fade, Feliciano, you should know that." Prussia said, again ignoring his brother's remarks to be a little more considerate as even Ludwig could tell his brother was being a little rough. "Your grandfather faded and sometimes comes back now and then, just ask West" He said with a smirk to the other, ignoring the comment that Ludwig made that he had confided that privately to Gilbert and that he thought he made it clear he was sure that was just a dream. "Ja ja, okay West. But as I was awesomely saying, other personifications can crumble like your buddy Holy Rome and just 'disappear'. And sometimes the awesome ones like me remain awesome and do awesome stuff to pass the time, right West? I help out plenty, like now." He said, shooting a smile to his brother.

"But what do you think would happen to America?" Feliciano asked, Ludwig also curious to hear what his brother would have to say. Although it appeared more like this was not a necessary conversation since Arthur and Francis didn't appear to be grieving the loss of said nation, Prussia usually avoided this topic since it was obvious that it made him a little self-conscious.

"How should I know all the answers?" Prussia said, all lingering thoughts on how helpful his brother was actually being leaving Ludwig's mind. But the other Germanic nation continued on with his explanation, if only to keep the Italian moving closer to the intended destination. "If he's really on his way out, like I said, there would be a body to bury for him. Corporeally he'd still be around but not really and the nation would be a little out of sorts for a while. But then another personification would show up with knowledge of the nation's past except not really sharing those memories – go bother Heracles for that sort of thing and he'll tell you about what his mother told him about Ionia or whatever her name was." He said with an attitude that clearly demonstrated his desire to move beyond that topic to get to drinking, Feliciano nodding along as he listened to the former nation. "Either way, it doesn't look like that's a real problem right now. Why don't you go show that brotherly love to Romano over there?" He said with a smirk as he opened the door to the bar, spying Romano and Antonio at a table. Without hesitation, Feliciano sprung himself at his own brother, Antonio remarking how cute the two of them were despite the ridiculous amount of obscenities that were spewing from Romano's mouth.

"I vill admit, I am impressed with you Gilbert" Ludwig said as he walked beside his brother to the bar. Prussia laughed as he took a seat. "Ja, I know. You just can't help it. You can show your gratitude with a few rounds on you." Gilbert said, motioning to get the bartender's attention. Ludwig shook his head, but wasn't too surprised with his brother's behavior. "I'd totally carry you bridal style like Canada did, all knightly, you know? I'd look so awesome, so, no different." Gilbert teased Ludwig as the two of them started in on their drinks.


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur found himself facing an irate France who had somehow beaten him to his room, despite his head start. He furrowed his eyebrows at the other nation, shooing him away from the lock on the door, prolonging any conversation for as long as he could as the two entered his room. Picking up the book, he flipped through it to carefully read as much information he could about the details of that particular spell.

"Just ask one of your brothers for..." France began to say but was silenced by a glare that fit the description of 'if looks could kill'. Sighing, France brushed off imaginary dust from his clothes while Arthur continued to remain silent. "It would be much quicker if you could just ask for their assistance. There are other things I could be getting to, you know?" France said, seeming to return to his usual attitude now that immediate danger seemed to have passed. Arthur merely lifted the book up to hide his face as he read, continuing to give Francis the silent treatment. "Seriously Arthur…." Francis said with a scolding tone, "…you are the one who told me about your involvement in all of zis. The least you could do is keep me updated. I might be able to help ze poor boy you decided to strike down after being so close for so long."

"Excuse me? He and I are nothing but…" Arthur finally started to say, stopping his speech as he saw the smirk on Francis' face that he considered to be a part of his arrogant personality.

"You are nothing but brozers. Alfred may have distanced himself at one point but in case you are forgetting mon ami, it's been a while and the world has changed since ze late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries." Francis said as he relaxed in his chair. "Zere is a reason he came to visit you when you were injured that badly during World War II."

"Yes, well, for someone who was supposed to be my ally at the time, why didn't _you_ show up?" Arthur retorted back as he attempted to ignore the other train of thought France was pushing. France scoffed at his question. "I was a little bit busy being a _prisoner_ at ze time, Arthur. Besides, I have more than made up for it every July when you come crawling to me when you are ill." Francis said.

"I do not come crawling to you" Arthur denied, although internally he had to admit that Francis was always there even if he hadn't called for him. "I just happen to not agree with the weather at the time is all."

"Oh hon hon hon, I think you mean you do not agree with your alcohol, no?" Francis teased, earning another glare from Arthur. "But you are avoiding what I was saying. You know Alfred is still attached to you in some way. With how global economies and everything else is today, it cannot be helped. It is why he was so hurt last night when he thought you put Ivan up to mocking him."

Arthur pointed accusingly at Francis. "I knew you must've heard our conversation. It is very ungentlemanly of you to eavesdrop on such a private matter. Shame on you Francis." He said, but Francis only rolled his eyes, prompting Arthur to return to trying to focus on his book.

"This coming from the personification who prides himself on being the world's most excellent spy? You are being a little hypocritical there, mon cher…" France said with an amused chuckle. "And it is hardly private when Alfred speaks so loudly. I was only concerned for you two, as was Matthew and it seems there was good reason."

"I know, I know." Arthur said, sitting back in his chair and rubbing his hands across his face. "But there's nothing in here for a counter to a spell that's not supposed to last more than a full day. And I didn't even finish so I've no idea where I would start the counter-spell anyway."

Francis looked troubled too at Arthur's lack of success. "And that is why I suggest you just leave all your dabbling in such blasphemous works behind. But you never seem to listen to me anymore." He said, taking on a faux disheartened tone that Arthur was used to dealing with more often than he would like with Francis.

"Anyway, I think the best we can do is hope that Alfred sleeps this off. It should be wearing off soon…I think." Arthur said. "Why is it either Alfred or Matthew that continues to barge in on me in the middle of my casting? Is it something only those North Americans seem to be able to sense when I'm in the middle of that?" He asked, Francis shaking his head.

"In any case, I highly doubt my Mathieu would 'barge in' on anything unless there was a very good reason." Francis said, standing up with Arthur as they headed back to Matthew's room, taking the book with them regardless of its apparent uselessness.

"He is not _your_ Matthew, frog. If anything, you're the one who abandoned him." Arthur said as they got onto the elevator.

"Only because you…." Francis said before shaking his head. "Let's not start zis again. It will get us talking in circles because you insist on not accepting I am just superior." Francis said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Well then, _sir_ , do you have a way to get into Matthew's room if they're both asleep?" Arthur asked grumpily. "It's been about an hour since we got nothing from this book and as much of a lump as Alfred can be, I think you can remember that Matthew enjoys his beauty sleep too."

Francis shot him a cocky smirk as he pulled out a room card from his pocket that he'd obviously swiped from the pile of goodies Matthew had deposited on the table, earning a frustrated scoff from Arthur. "Why yes, my little underling, I do. I suppose I could share it with you if you were perhaps to…"

"Don't even start with any of your perverted ideas Francis." Arthur said, glad that the elevator had stopped so that he could put some distance between the two of them. Francis merely laughed as he followed Arthur.

"You keep running away, mon lapin, but you know you can't deny forever…." He started to say before Arthur turned to smack him on the back of his head, unsatisfied at the weak reaction the other nation gave him. "So rough, Arthur…." He teased as he unlocked the door, finding both boys asleep on the bed.

Setting his book on the table, Arthur took one of the seats and made himself comfortable. Francis did similarly, turning on the television to a low volume on the off chance that he woke either of the two sleeping boys. They both knew that the boys were capable of taking care of themselves, but old habits were easy to fall back into, and neither really wanted to face the other curious nations just yet. As the time wore on, the other two had nodded off themselves only to be awoken another couple of hours later by Matthew's voice.

"Alfred…Alfred….come on Alfie, you've gotta wake up, eh?" Matthew was saying, shaking his brother to try and wake him. "Alfred….America!" Matthew shouted, startling Francis awake. Seeing Francis awake, Matthew looked over to him. "He won't wake up." He said, returning to less gentle methods of waking his brother.

"Arthur, wake up." Francis said, shaking the other's leg to get him to wake up, wincing in sympathy at the sore neck Arthur was going to have from his position on the chair. "Something's not right." He said, getting Arthur's attention as he too saw Matthew trying to get his brother awake, resorting to bribes of ice cream or his special maple pancakes to threats of pulling his cowlick or having Kuma sit on him again. When that didn't seem to work, he rolled him onto his back and leaned over him. With wide eyes, Matthew reached over to the nightstand to fumble for the telephone.

"Matthew, what's wrong?" Arthur asked, getting up from his seat and to join Francis at the bedside. He reached over to halt the Canadian's movements to try and get him to explain.

"Alfred's breathing isn't right. Listen for yourself." Matthew said. "What's the number I'm supposed to call here for emergencies?" He asked, continuing on in French-Canadian with rapid mutterings that Francis was having a hard time keeping up with while Arthur looked over Alfred.

"He's right." Arthur said as he took the phone from Matthew. "His pulse is slower than it should be." He said, calling the private line for help for the visiting nations.

"Oui. America's pulse is, well, as strong as his super strength." Francis said, Matthew muttering something else quickly to him. "Mathieu, I cannot keep up with that version of French. Slow down and take a deep breath. Help is on the way." Francis said.

"Actually, it'd be quicker to take him ourselves." Arthur said, hanging up the phone. "I've made the calls but with the traffic heading in this direction this time of day, we'd be faster in one of our cars if you can carry him out again Matthew." He said, the other nodding his head in agreement as he seemed to snap out of his panic. "Okay. Grab some things to take with us and we'll head out." Arthur said to Francis as the three of them hurried to take Alfred to Arthur's car. Matthew asked something else to Arthur in French Canadian, and he was forced to look to Francis for some sort of translation.

"He asked about Alfred's things. Should we take something of his?" Francis said as he held open the door for Matthew, his arms full of his brother. But before Arthur could come up with a response, Francis had already answered in French, leaving Arthur feeling a little left out.

The group piled into Arthur's car, passing a surprised China and Japan. "What is wrong with America-san?" Japan asked with concern evident in his voice for his friend's well-being. "I thought he just needed to sleep off his cold?"

"Yes, well, now he's having difficulty waking up." Arthur said, the two Asian nations letting out exclamations of worry. "We're heading to the hospital now. Please inform Germany that I will be unable to begin tomorrow's round of discussions and that I would be most grateful if he could handle that for me." Arthur said with as much composure as he could, putting on the famous 'stiff upper lip' that he was known for.

"Aiya…" China said in surprise. "Of course Britain, aru. If there's anything you need, just let us know." The older man said, receiving an appreciative look from Arthur before he got in and began to drive. As he had warned, traffic in the opposite direction they were going in had built up, their own commute a little slower than Arthur would have liked. A pothole that Arthur was unable to swiftly avoid had them all bounce a little in their seats.

"Mon dieu. I thought you were supposed to have been an expert at navigation, _former pirate_." Francis said, looking to the backseat to check on Matthew and Alfred. "With the way those two had to stuff themselves in your tiny car, you'll be giving Mattieu a concussion too."

Arthur made an irritated noise at the complaining from the passenger seat. "Well a ship is highly different from a car, Francis. And I'm doing my best, you know. It's not as though _your_ cars are any better." He said, the two launching into one of their typical debates over comparing one's versions of things to another.

Matthew sighed as he realized the two of them likely would bicker for the rest of the ride, but he did have to admit that head-butting with Alfred was not the best feeling in the world. The two taller nations had crammed themselves in the back, and Matthew had propped Alfred into a sitting position, holding him steady for the ride. Running a hand on his head to try and ease the ache, he looked down to see Alfred sleepily looking back at him.

"Hey! Alfred! Hey there, bro!" Matthew said in his whisper-shout, although not loud enough to cut into the Europeans' conversation. "Keep your eyes open, eh? We're going to get you some better medicine to help, okay?" He said with a shaky smile, smacking Alfred gently on the face when his eyelids started to droop.

"No…" Alfred mumbled, Matthew straining to hear. "No medicine. No…No more." Alfred said, Matthew readjusting his grip on his brother to try and get him to look at him more directly.

"You need medicine Alfred. It's the only way to fix whatever is wrong with you." Matthew said, trying to reason with his brother. Alfred mumbled something again, but Matthew couldn't make it out. He kicked the back of Francis' seat to get their attention so they could shut up long enough for him to maybe make out some words. Feeling the jolt, Francis looked back as though ready to start arguing with Matthew when he noticed Alfred semi-awake.

"Arthur, he's awake." Francis said, ending Arthur's rant mid-word as the Englishman looked into the rear-view mirror to see for himself. "What is he saying Mattieu?" Francis asked, Matthew leaning closer and continuously shifting his brother to try and keep him awake. But the more soft-spoken twin shook his head as he looked to Francis.

"I can't tell. All I got before was the usual refusal to take medicine – he said 'no more'." Matthew repeated, turning back when Francis indicated it looked like Alfred was falling back asleep again. "Hey bro, come on. No more sleeping. Come on….stay awake and we can do some of the stuff you like. Um….you wanted to go on the London Eye again, right? We can do that and I'll even buy you an ice cream. Or we can check out….." Matthew began to ramble, continuing to talk to keep his brother's attention.

Alfred was feeling a little more discouraged at the inability to have even his brother pick up on what he was trying to say, vaguely wondering if this was how the other felt when the other nations considered him invisible during their meetings. He knew what was wrong with him, and he was frustrated at their apparent assumption that he wouldn't have known to take care of himself. Put a burger on someone's head as 'medicine' for a cold one time, and they automatically assume he's a dunce about his health. Although, he was starting to regret not actually reading all the information on the side of the pill bottle and taking a little extra into the meeting room. He figured he'd need a little more than the usual dose anyway – it was why he'd had to ask Arthur for a sip of his tea since he found he couldn't quite dry swallow the pills. But waking up to find they'd given him even more after he'd been practically comatose before left him anxious and grabbing his brother to try and somehow convey what he needed to say. Except that he'd fallen right back to sleep and it seemed that was the case this time too, his thoughts wandering from one thing his brother said to the next as he tried to keep awake. In his foggy state, the one thing he latched onto was the usual food-related topic of ice cream. Trying to muster up the reserves to talk again, he found himself trying to asking his brother to buy him that promised ice cream.

"Matt….I….b-buy…" He started to say about buying the promised ice cream, but he couldn't keep his eyes open any more, letting them drift shut and his head to fall onto his brother's shoulder while still trying to keep a hold on his brother's voice to avoid slipping into deep sleep again.

"Bye?! Bye?! No 'bye'! Keep your eyes open Alfred!" Matthew said in a highly panicked voice with wide, terrified eyes. He slapped his brother on the cheek harder than he had before. "No goodbyes. Please Alfie!" He said, switching into French Canadian again that Alfred didn't even try to follow, feeling his brother running his hands through his hair as he tried to get him to open his eyes again. He heard Francis saying something in French and Arthur yelling something back, a situation Alfred would normally boisterously laugh at. However, he instead forced his eyes open a fraction to look at Matthew.

"Oh dieu merci." Matthew said, hugging Alfred close. Francis also seemed a little relieved from what Alfred could see. Alfred sleepily reached for Matthew's hand as a sort of 'sorry for freaking you out' gesture since he couldn't form much of a coherent sentence at the moment.

"We're almost there lad." Alfred heard Arthur's voice from the front, sounding much like how he spoke to him when he was little. "Keep awake alright? Show us that 'go-getter' spirit of yours." He said, pushing the limit for speed on his car to get to the hospital.

As promised, they arrived within the next five minutes, Alfred doing his best to stay awake. His efforts to always be the hero apparently kicking in as he worked to keep his brother from another panic attack. Arthur rushed inside to get help while Francis worked with Matthew to help Alfred inside. Without protest, unusual in itself, Alfred was whisked away by hospital personnel. The other three were then left to wait until a nurse or doctor came back with information, Matthew his typical quiet self with only a few French mutterings that Arthur left Francis to answer. Not too long after, a short woman in a nurse's outfit approached them, although a little warily seeing how tense the three were. Knowing that they were also personifications also left her to be cautious, especially since it seemed justified with the look she was receiving from a certain long-haired blonde Frenchman.

"I have information about the man you brought in." She began, Matthew standing up from his seat to speak with the nurse. "However, pulling up the records as we've been instructed, sir…." She said, turning to Arthur who knew the procedures he and his boss had put in place like so many other countries had in regards to dealing with any medical issues with personifications. "Well, it doesn't look like he's updated the paperwork in a while so…." She tried again, but Arthur shook his head.

"Yes, that does sound like him. Let me guess, it's been at least a few decades since he filled out the paperwork. Bloody fool thinks he's damn invincible simply because he doesn't get ill that often. Gets hurt often enough with his antics…" Arthur grumbled, silenced by Francis' hand on his shoulder. "Yes, yes, get to the point." He said, returning to looking at the nurse who seemed used to dealing with frustrated family and friends.

"As I was saying, it's been a while so we must comply with the forms we do have." She said, looking at the papers on her clipboard. "In this case, those authorized to visit with him while still in this state are only those he had filled under 'requested' under the terminology of the older forms." She said, Arthur sighing at the news.

"Alright Matthew, you head back and we'll meet you when he's a little better." Arthur said, running a hand through his hair. "Can we at least hear what you think has him in here in the first place?" he asked.

"Yes. We took some blood work and as soon as the results are known we can treat him better, but it looks like he may have overdosed on something. We're working on flushing it out of his system but it's still a concern for the doctors at the moment." She said, Matthew's eyes widening.

"That's what he was saying in the car." Matthew said, hugging himself more as realization dawned on him. But he refrained from saying anything else to keep the nurse from explaining anything else, although his soft voice wouldn't have drowned her out.

"So good news then? He will be better soon?" Francis asked, the nurse answering that the doctors were optimistic but that Alfred would need constant supervision in case he regressed. While not the good news the three wanted to hear, it was better than being told all was lost.

"But I do have to ask about something else that was concerning the doctors." She said, putting the three back on edge. "They know that as personifications, scars aren't that uncommon from attacks on the land…"

"Yes, like how the economy can occasionally make us sick. But what does that have to do with…" Arthur started to ask but the nurse cut him off as though sensing another rant.

"Well, we don't know what all of them symbolize but one of them apparently was bleeding. Not much, but…" she began, Francis and Arthur looking to each other with a silent exchange "…it was quickly taken care of so it doesn't appear to be of much concern. Just was hoping one of you could elaborate on it in case there was anything to be looking for. Either way, he's resting right now." She said with a small smile meant to be encouraging.

"Alright Mathieu, we'll see you soon." Francis said as Matthew walked over beside the nurse, the Frenchman sitting back down in one of the chairs.

"Oh, but he has authorized visits from a brother. He's listed a Matthew William and an Arthur Kirkland sir. It's the terminology on the older form – only immediate family could be allowed, but as personifications, I wasn't sure if…but…you're listed as someone he'd allow back to visit." She said, Arthur looking bewildered at the news. He looked like he wanted to reach for the form to see for himself but caught himself in time. A distinct laugh behind him had him turning around to face the other nation.

"You see mon ami, I told you he still cared. You should listen to me more. I am more than just a gorgeous face and figure, you know." Francis said as he laughed. "It is no wonder that he did that. Go. I will be here and possibly get us some proper food if I can find it." He said, Matthew's tug on Arthur's sleeve the only thing that broke him out of his internal musings on why Alfred would have listed him as such on the form. Following the nurse, the two of them walked to where Alfred was set up in a private room.

"I'd advise only twenty minutes at most in here. I highly doubt he'll wake up yet, but just in case, don't agitate him." She said, Matthew already by his brother's side with a worried look on his face. The nurse spoke with Arthur briefly before leaving them alone.

"Why would one of his old scars be bleeding?" Matthew said, looking up to see Arthur seemingly reluctant to admit what he and Francis were thinking earlier. "That's only supposed to happen if there's another event at the same spot and of a similar amount of significance, right? Or if the memory of it is particularly prominent at the time? That's what you told me when I was younger…" he said, biting his bottom lip as he thought back on one of his former caretaker's various lessons. Alfred hadn't been as studious as him, but Arthur could tell that Matthew hadn't remembered everything either.

"True, and that's very rare for it to cause bleeding." Arthur said, grabbing a chair to sit down, still working through his surprise that Alfred would have him listed as someone to contact if he was hospitalized. "And while there's always some segment of a country that likes to bring up things from the past, I don't think it would affect him enough for an old wound to bleed." He said, his face taking on a thoughtful expression. "Maybe if we can see which one…."

"No!" Matthew interrupted, an embarrassed blush covering his cheeks. "I mean, that's private, eh? A-And the nurse said not to agitate him." he said, fidgeting a little.

"Matthew, I wasn't suggesting we disrobe him completely." Arthur said with an amused smile to the Canadian who was ever trying to be polite. "And if it's for his own good, wouldn't you want to do anything to help him out?" he tried again, getting up to see if he could tell which scar the nurse was talking about.

"Okay. Yes, of course I would." Matthew said, still a blush tinting his face. "But, then, why were you and Francis worried? Is there something else?" he asked, Arthur's movements stilling as he gently looked over Alfred. "I'm not an idiot. All that whispering means something. Tell me Arthur, please?" Matthew said, hoping his request wouldn't require more prodding than the simple 'please' he'd added.

Arthur looked directly to Matthew's face before sighing. "Well…Roman Empire had a lot of scars and if you ask Feliciano or Romano, they could tell you how when he started to fade….they…." he started to say, Matthew gasping as he caught on. "Now I don't know how accurate that is myself, only having their word and Francis' brief snippets to go off of since I never personally lived in Roman Empire's house, but it's just a rumor that we should think about. Just to be safe." Arthur rushed to say, Matthew taking a seat.

"But that happened because as a nation, there wasn't a complete Roman Empire anymore, right? America isn't in that state – just some of the usual intense weather that Alfie can plow right through with a few migraines here and there." Matthew said. "Something else had to have caused that." He said, running a hand across his face as he tried to come up with some possibilities.

"Well…." Arthur began, not sure if he should spill the secret Francis hadn't managed to divulge to Matthew yet. But seeing the other's gaze snap back to him, he tried to confess his potential involvement in a casual manner. "I…may have… been a little hasty in my dealings with him the other night. He he he…" he began, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly while he nervously laughed. "And you know…well….ah, the thing is…" he rambled, attempting to find a way to cast himself in a better light to his former colony who hadn't been as critical or difficult with him as some of the others. Seeing Matthew getting less and less patient, he slumped his shoulders a little, a melancholy aura surrounding him. "I tried to curse him the other night." He outright admitted, Matthew's mouth dropping open in shock. "I know, I know….I could have handled that better, but I didn't finish. You interrupted me before I could and I never attempted it again. I spent the better portion of the past few hours trying to find a possible fix to a curse that clearly was defective." He continued on as though Matthew hadn't been trying to interject. "And it's not like Alfred hasn't had a good curse or two coming to him after all this time. I mean, really…." He said with a little more conviction, giving a tiny laugh to try and sound confident.

"What did you do to Alfred?!" Matthew asked with his voice raised to the same level he'd used with his brother those few times he'd had enough and snapped at him with his passive aggressiveness that Alfred couldn't handle. "What was the curse supposed to do?" he asked, making Arthur cringe a little.

"Ah, it was just a bit of an ailment spell. Nothing more than a desire for him to be quiet for a little while." Arthur said, attempting a lighter tone to ease the other's growing frustration. "I do regret it, but it shouldn't have affected him like this." He said, letting his remorse seep into his tone that Matthew was able to pick up on.

"Well he's certainly quiet now isn't he?" Matthew snapped at Arthur before seeming to be worried about how the other might react to his forcefulness. "Can you…can you just fix him? Some other magic?" Matthew asked with a sigh of his own as he tried to deal with this information, ashamed at how easily he felt himself backing down from the argument. However, when Arthur just shrugged, he huffed and decided to subject the other nation to his own perfected brand of silent treatment. When the nurse came back in to let them know that they should come back later, Arthur found himself actually grateful for Francis' involvement as he whisked them off to the cafeteria.


	8. Chapter 8

The three of them ate their food in relative quiet save for the small talk Francis was carrying through their meal. Mostly complaining about the lack of anything with any flavor anywhere in Arthur's homeland, he'd been saying the usual things to at least get a rise out of the other.

"Alright you two, what am I missing?" Francis finally asked as he leaned back in the chair. But looking at the way Arthur kept his usual faux calm expression throughout the meal and reluctance to glance at Matthew, the other nation had been able to pick up on something being wrong. "Mattieu?" He tried again, poking the other in the shoulder a few times to try and prompt a response. He huffed in frustration at the stubbornness of the two of them, wondering if perhaps Britain was just being his usual self towards him. "Are those eyebrows of yours hindering your hearing now, Britain, or are you just lost in one of your hallucinations again?" He tried again, knowing that would rile up his longtime frenemy.

"You Frog! I do not hallucinate and my eyebrows have no part in this discussion whatsoever." Arthur snapped to Francis, the other looking smug that he'd finally gotten some sort of a response.

"That is funny since it seems that have a rather large part on your face." Francis goaded the other, unable to help himself from provoking the other's ire. As predicted, Arthur looked ready to start fuming to Francis about something. "Listen you git, my sense of style is…

"Sense of style? Unkempt is not a style. And you wonder why I call you the black sheep of Europe. Compared to me…" Francis began, the two easily slipping into another argument involving the two manhandling the other in their scrapple, knocking away the chairs to their table.

"Maple!" Shouted Matthew as they knocked the table particularly hard. He had thought that at a time like this, their focus on him would have kept up, but not even Alfred's typical intrusive behavior however well-intentioned could cut through those two and their perpetual need to provoke the other. "Stop it! Stop it…or…or…I'll give you a 'what for'! And I mean it…." Matthew said as threateningly as he could, succeeding in gaining at least Francis' attention before Arthur got in a nasty tug on the other's long hair, resulting in another squabble. Matthew sighed, feeling as though completely invisible again and missing the company of his twin or at least his polar bear, whatever his true name might be. Getting up from the now ruined attempt at a calm dinner before returning back to Alfred's room, Matthew left the European nations to figure out on their own that he had left them. He wandered back to Alfred's room, feeling a little bold at his returned inconspicuousness; he quietly bypassed the nurse that had been keeping the three nations out of the room. Matthew sighed as he thought that there might be some logic in limiting visits, even if Alfred's condition had improved any. With the way Arthur and Francis acted, he figured the staff had over time anticipated those eventual fights and wanted to keep that at arm's length if they could.

He walked into Alfred's room to see that he was still completely out, the rise and fall of his chest the only movement from the nation in the bed. Taking a seat, he watched his brother sleep for a minute before remembering that he should ask the hotel staff to look in on his bear, or to have one of the other nations check on Kumakiki with an employee. He called and made the arrangements, hoping simultaneously that his voice wouldn't- yet would- wake Alfred. As the other continued to sleep, Matthew couldn't help but think of the first time he could think of when his brother had actively put in the effort to be a hero, and just for him.

* * *

"Now Canada, I know your brother may be a bit rough, but he means well. You just have to hold his attention." Arthur had told him as the two of them made their way to the house built for the other colony under his supervision. It was shortly after he'd been removed from Francis' care and while Matthew hadn't had much experience with his twin brother, he did remember that Alfred did match Arthur's description. He was anxious to reunite again with his brother for a visit to try and grasp onto some sort of family after Francis' abrupt departure, something that the older nation had seemed to pick up on.

"America! America, I'm back." Arthur announced as they approached the house, knowing that eight times out of ten, the rambunctious colony of his would be wandering around outside rather than waiting inside at the specified time of day like Arthur had instructed him. "I've brought someone to see you!" he called out again, he and Matthew looking around the immediate grounds. Seeing no response, Arthur turned to look down at Matthew as he held tightly to his polar bear in fear and nervousness. "I'm sure he must be inside then. Come along lad…" Arthur was saying, about to direct Matthew to the house when there was a sudden drop from above the branch they were standing under, a very loud exclamation of "Bwitain!" accompanying it as Alfred grasped onto his caretaker's shoulders.

"Yay! You're back, you're back! And I gots lots of stuff planned-ed for your visit this time." Alfred was saying as he maneuvered himself, Arthur sputtering for Alfred to remain still so he could get a better hold of him. "I did just like you said and went explowin'. Found none of that yellow rock awound here but there's lots of fun animals that I met and I went to the villages to see what's been goin' on. I talked-ed with some of the nice old ladies –Oh! One of dem's a Germmy lady and she said I could have an apple pie she made if I did some work for her and it's still dere in de house but I already had some – only a little - but I dunno if you wanna…." Alfred was rambling, Arthur finally getting a hold of the tiny colony with a huff of frustration and exhaustion from his colony's surprise attack. The older nation briefly wondered what might make the loud-mouthed boy pause long enough for him to get a word in greeting, reminded of the additional reason for his visit when he bumped into an equally startled Matthew. Seeing Alfred looking curiously at the other boy as though possibly remembering some familiarity with him, Arthur placed Alfred back on the ground and gently pushed Matthew out from behind him to reintroduce the two.

"America, this is Canada. He's your brother." Arthur said as Alfred leaned into Matthew's personal space as he looked over the other boy. Matthew thought about what to say, his previous ideas of any grand and warming greetings forgotten in his uncomfortableness. His mumbled hello was returned by Alfred, who then promptly ran inside the house talking about food. Matthew felt heartbroken at how easily the other had brushed him aside as not worth as much attention as the food waiting inside or playing with their older brother. Arthur sighed as he looked down to Matthew, smiling encouragingly as he scooped him up in his arms and walked inside with him.

"America, that's not a very polite way of introducing oneself. Especially to one's family." Arthur was saying as he shut and locked the door, having learned that although Alfred was plenty strong enough to simply barge straight through the thick wooden barrier, keeping it locked while inside did act as a reminder to at least ask for permission to go back outside. "Whatever happened to your English while I was away? It's atrocious – I know you can say your 'r's. I thought we were making such progress…." He started to say before his eyes widened at the sight of Alfred with a large knife in his hand, red goo stuck to the sides of it.

"Come on Bwitain! I made a surpwise!" Alfred said with an incredibly pleased look on his innocent face as he said that in a cheery, melodic way so as to get his big brother interested. Still, Matthew buried his face into Arthur's neck in fear at what his brother had done or may to do him, not remembering any traces of this kind of behavior in his brother. Arthur fidgeted as he looked over to the tiny knife-wielding colony, tightening his hold on Matthew to be both comforting and protective if need be.

"A-and what, pray tell, have you concocted in my absence, America?" Arthur said, voice wavering only a little, but Alfred didn't seem to pick up on it.

"It took me forever to hunt 'em down in time for you." Alfred said, motioning with the knife for Arthur to follow him into the kitchen. "They wouldn't stop squirming either while I worked. Kept jumpin' around…" Alfred said, a growing look of apprehension on Arthur's face. "But I got 'em all! None left and I made you somethin' to eat. It'll be good. You'll like 'em. I just had to finish with the last ones to add to the jar." He said, Matthew's grip on Arthur's neck beginning to make it difficult for the island nation to breathe.

"America, w-who are you talking about love?" Arthur asked, trying to sound chipper and relaxed as usual. "Why don't you just put the knife down and tell me all about your discoveries, hmm?" Arthur suggested, but Alfred didn't look like he was listening all the much.

"Who? Oh, Bwitian, 'member you told me to keep a watch out for any more Frenchies so you could take care of 'em? Well, don't worry 'bout that – there were a couple of guys at the harbor and I …." Alfred was saying, only to be cut off by a loud, frightened wail from Matthew as he clung even tighter to Arthur and mumbled in French to his new caretaker to take him away from his apparently extremely Francophobic brother. Based on what it looked like, Matthew could only assume that Alfred wouldn't react well to having his twin have French heritage that would bleed through, and the knife in his hand only terrified him further.

"Matthew, Matthew, calm down…." Arthur said, switching to their human names. "Alfred isn't about to hurt you. Most certainly not while I am here as well. English, Matthew, English dear boy." Arthur said, unable to properly follow the little boy's pleas to get away, his French not as flawless as it could be for him in his tendency to try and push his rival nation's influence away. Alfred watched his brother panic in their older brother's arms in confusion, head cocked to the side in a way that made his cowlick even more prominent.

"Wha's wrong?" Alfred asked, finally putting the knife down as made to approach the two other people in the room. But Arthur's gesture to stop had him pausing long enough for the older nation to get Matthew to withdraw his face long enough to glance at his brother with a whimper. Arthur also looked a little worried, considering that he may have gone overboard with instilling a healthy amount of wariness around Francis into Alfred that might have caused a bit of a problem. Alfred huffed and crossed his arms before speaking again. "If he don't wanna have any of the berries he don't have to." He mumbled, sounding a little disappointed. "But when I talked to the guys to make sure they were leavin', they told me all about this berry spread that's supposed ta' be yummy when ya' put it in the, uh, creeps, and I thought it might be as good as the stuff you bring over with the teas." Alfred said, a look of realization dawning on Arthur's face at Alfred's words.

"It's crêpe, America, and why did you use a knife?" Arthur asked, Matthew still reluctant to let go of the older man's shirt. Alfred shrugged as though such a question was ridiculous to ask. " 'Cuz I broked the big wooden spoon when I started to mash the berries I found. Oh! Don't touch the ones in the basket still – those ones give you a tummy ache if you eat them." He said, making a face as he warned the others, probably having experienced that discomfort himself. With that said, Alfred picked up the knife again and turned to run back to the kitchen to get the spread that he was complaining was no longer a surprise, but Arthur grabbed the back of his shirt with his free hand.

"You should not be running around with knives like that America. You could hurt yourself." Arthur said as he held back his colony from taking off again, Alfred sighing but handing over the knife to his caretaker. "You know not to touch these knives unless someone is helping you. You should not keep disregarding what I tell you." Arthur said as they all entered the kitchen, greeted with the sight of a large mess that had been made as part of the process Alfred had been talking about to them. He could see where the boy had set up a spot on the table to mash the berries in a bowl, the comment about them squirming and jumping away making more sense now that he realized that Alfred had tried to create the spread using the large knife.

"Well I had ta use somethin' and I didn't have no more moneys to buy the other stuff I was supposed ta use either." Alfred said as he grabbed the jar with the berries he'd turned into a spread of sorts. Arthur sighed at the mention that Alfred hadn't managed his allowance.

"What happened this time?" Arthur asked, setting Matthew down on the counter. "And you did a lovely job with this spread Alfred, thank you for thinking of me." He said as he found his irritation abated at the look of adoration that asked for acceptance of his hard-worked gift. He ruffled the boy's hair as Alfred's grin widened at the praise, taking the offered jar and setting it next to Matthew.

"You're welcome Bwitian!" Alfred exclaimed, hugging the man's legs together tightly so that Arthur was forced to hold onto the counter to keep his balance. Matthew grabbed onto Arthur's shoulder to help pull him back to the counter, receiving a grateful look from his new caretaker. "But it wasn't me this time! You didn't leave me more than enough to buy a container of stuff to make some biscuits. And everybody's been talkin' about how much more everything's been gettin' lately – but I don't think they minded _too_ much." Alfred said, unaware of the wince that Arthur gave at the mention of the increased prices and taxes that his boss thought would be a good idea to start rebuilding from his fight with France over America and Canada.

"Wait….did you hear about that while you were in town? When did you speak with those Frenchmen and from where were they coming Alfred?" Arthur asked as he was released from Alfred's hold, beginning to tidy the disaster area that was the kitchen.

"I dunno. They just said they was leavin' and you only told me to make sure that no more Frenchies try and take anything." Alfred said with a shrug, picking up a rag that had fallen to the floor and was covered in some of the berries' juices. Matthew watched as the two of them continued to clean up and talk, feeling a little glum that it seemed like he'd been completely forgotten to the point of invisibility. Instead, he just snuggled his face into his bear, stroking it behind the ears to earn a lick in appreciation for the attention from his owner. Matthew had to keep a firm hold on his bear though when he saw his nose start to pick up a scent that intrigued him, following his bear's focus on the jar of mashed berries. "No Kuma…that's not for us." Matthew said, but his bear reached out with one of his paws, forcing Matthew to move the jar a little further away.

"But Arthur, I can too do all that stuff! Just 'cuz you say I have to get only your kinda stuff don't mean my way of making the berry thing isn't any good. Maybe we should just do it my way since your stuff's more money." Alfred said, sounding as though he really was trying to make an alternative possible for the older nation.

"No America…just listen to me, alright?" Arthur said with exasperation. "I know you've plenty of free-spirited ideas, but there is a reason for what I do and I'd appreciate you remember and act like a proper gentleman." He concluded, sighing when his words seemed to hurt Alfred's feelings. "Come here, love. I didn't mean to yell." He said, Alfred walking into Arthur's waiting arms for a hug. "But I do want you to start listening more. What if those Frenchmen were to try and do something to you while I wasn't here?"

"But they said they were goin' to live with family across the ocean…" Alfred said in a small voice. "And I only talked with them about food. They do have good food too…." He trailed off, igniting Arthur's temper again, although this time it was about Francis' again.

"Bah! They have no sense of taste. They probably gave you a bad recipe." Arthur said, Alfred looking offended that Arthur would think he'd mess things up with his food. But Arthur's comment piqued Matthew's curiosity, always interested in the food that Francis would gush to him about. Seeing his bear still sniffing for the jar, he whispered to his bear before sliding the jar a little closer and dipping his finger into the mix. "Just a little taste, right?" He asked, getting a little onto the bear's paw for him to lick. Licking his finger, he couldn't help but screw his face up at the bitterness from the berries. "Oooh, yuck…." He said, earning the others' attention finally. "Too bitter, too bitter." He said, Alfred looking disappointed that his efforts were for nothing. "You should add some sugar, or honey, or better yet….maple syrup to sweeten it up." Matthew suggested, his bear still licking his paw to get the remaining portion of the stuff off of him, apparently not minding the bitterness.

"Oh, oh….I got somma that sugar cane still. But I didn't get to the maple trees…." Alfred said. "Hey, if we do it together, we could get 'nuff of the sap to boil outside and make more syrup to add to the berries. C'mon, c'mon…." Alfred said in excitement, motioning for his brother to follow him, but Arthur held him by the back of his shirt again.

"What are you supposed to do first?" Arthur asked gently to remind Alfred he was supposed to ask for permission to go back outside.

"First we tap the trees and collect the sap so we can boil it in the big pot outside. Then we…" Alfred answered with pride at knowing what he believed was the correct answer. But Arthur interrupted him before he explained the whole process of making maple syrup.

"No America, that is not what I meant. I know how to make maple syrup." Arthur said with a bit of amusement in his voice. "But you didn't ask me first. And you've hardly paid any attention to your brother or apologized for scaring him earlier." Arthur said as Matthew climbed down from the counter with the jar of berries to keep them away from his polar bear.

"That's why we gotta go outside. We'll talk then." Alfred said to his caretaker as though that was the most obvious thing in the world. "Right, Canadia?" he said, turning to his brother.

"It's Canada." Matthew said with a sigh, but he looked to Arthur imploringly to go back outside. Seeing the two boys with their large, blue eyes staring at him, he crumpled and reluctantly agreed to let them play together outside.

"Alright boys. Go ahead, but be careful. Shout if you need me to help." Arthur said, Alfred shouting gleefully before he had finished talking. "I'll be making something for you while you're working and if you're successful, then maybe we'll all have some of that pie with the berry spread." He said, Matthew licking his lips at the suggestion before being pulled along by his brother. Arthur watched them go with a fond smile on his face before a loud thud from behind him had him jumping in yet another surprise as Kumajirou jumped down from the counter to follow after his owner.

Matthew stood by the front door with an impatient Alfred as his bear caught up with them, waiting for Arthur to unlock the door. Seeing as Arthur was taking too long with some last minute adjustments in the kitchen, Alfred poked his brother in the shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, if I give you a boost, think you can slide the bolt and let us out?" He asked.

"I don't think that such a good idea eh?" Matthew said, hesitant to get on Arthur's bad side so soon after becoming a part of his household. But Alfred giggled at that suggestion.

"You talk funny, eh?" Alfred said, mimicking his brother's words. "I like you. But come on." He urged again, gesturing to the other that he was ready to give him a boost as he positioned himself against the door. While still hesitant, Matthew couldn't help but feel giddy at the short pronouncement that his brother at the very least liked him and wanted to do something to keep that attitude. Scrunching up his face in thought, he gave in and put his foot into his brother's folded hands, Alfred giving a short, triumphant laugh as he easily lifted his brother up high enough for Matthew to unlock the door. Sliding the bolt, he had turned the doorknob and pushed on the door just as Arthur walked back into the room.

"What are you two up to?" Arthur exclaimed in surprise, causing Alfred to drop Matthew back to the ground. Rubbing his sore bottom from the landing, Matthew looked guilty up to the older man and was about to politely apologize but Alfred shouted out a quick goodbye and had dragged his brother out the door. The two of them ran until they'd reached the maple trees Alfred had already tapped, their buckets waiting to be filled. Alfred got right to work, prompting Matthew to feel obligated to just start in on their task too, although he was comfortable with the familiarity of this activity.

"So Canadia…" Alfred said, only to look sheepish when his brother glared at him. "Canada, wight….sowy. But, what's your human name? Bwitain has me call him Bwitain a lot when we're out doin' stuff or 'cuz that's how he wants me to gweet him so it's a habit. But when it's just us, he says I can call him Arthur –or England, but I like to call him Iggy 'cuz it's easier to say." He said, Matthew's eyes widening as he thought about what his brother said and wondering if perhaps being a part of Britain's house wouldn't be too bad. He would have to remember to ask to call Britain by his human name if he was allowed.

"Oh, well, Francis….um…it sounds a little different in French but Britain said in English, my name is Matthew." He said, extending a hand to be polite, hoping that this might be the sort of introduction he'd been hoping for earlier. Alfred looked curiously at his brother, answering, "I'm Alfred", before shaking his brother's hand briefly until he decided to forgo that and glomp onto his brother. Not expecting it, the two fell to the ground, Alfred giggling. "We're supposed to be twin brothers. We shouldn't say hi with a stuffy ol' handshake. I like hugs and I like you, so I like to hug you." He said, Matthew's face flushing in embarrassment and gratitude that his brother didn't hate him. Getting up, the two returned to their task, spending the rest of the afternoon talking while they made the maple syrup. Although Alfred was the one doing the majority of the talking, the afternoon passed quickly and Arthur called them inside for dinner, halting their activity.

"I think you have plenty for the berries boys." Arthur had said to ease their concern over the little amount they'd procured, but the two boys were appeased with the prospect of food and eagerly ran inside. Alfred began to devour the meal Arthur had made, although Matthew wasn't as pleased with the cooking. They ate while Arthur took the maple syrup to add to the berries, Matthew watching him to comment on what he might want to do. Finishing up, Alfred was practically bounding in his seat as Arthur served them a small portion of the remaining pie with a side of the berries, digging in with gusto.

"Oh, that's so much better. You were right Mattie!" Alfred said as he shoveled more into his mouth, unaware of the surprise on the other two's faces.

"What did you call me?" Matthew asked, his curl bouncing as he tilted his head to the side. Alfred shrugged, making to respond but a reminder from Arthur to wait until he didn't have food in his mouth to speak delayed his answer.

"I called-ed ya' Mattie. It's a nickname." Alfred said with a smile. "It's 'cuz it's easier and 'cuz we're brothers." He said, Matthew's mouth quirking up a little at the corners as he yet again was assaulted by how easily his brother could welcome him.

"America, that's highly informal of a name to address your brother by." Arthur said, taking a napkin to wipe the food out of Alfred's hair. "Honestly, how do you manage to get pie crust in your hair?" He said as he fussed with his colony, Matthew laughing as Alfred fought off the assault on his hair.

"So what if it's infernal?" Alfred said, Arthur chuckling. "Informal, America, not infernal. That's France." He said, satisfied with his efforts on Alfred's hair.

"I don't mind. I can call him Alfie…or just Al." Matthew said, finishing up some of the berries on his plate. "And it's just the three of us right now….can we….I mean…." He began to ask, but seeing Arthur sigh, he refrained from going any further with his question.

"I…sure, Matthew. It's alright between us and when the situation is actually casual." Arthur said, earning a small smile from Matthew. "But your brother tends to make everything casual. Alfred, you shouldn't be so familiar all the time."

"Aww…but that's just how I am. There're so many different kinds of people who come to live here, I can't help but want to get to know them all – like the Germmy lady that gave me the pie." Alfred said, Arthur reminding him that it was 'German' not Germmy. Alfred continued to talk about the people he'd most recently met, including the Frenchmen from whom he'd gotten the idea for the berry spread.

"Wait, you said those men were talking about a few specific things I recognize. I think I know where they were coming from…I'll need to see to some things as soon as I can. And to monitor myself the mood towards my goods that people seem to be having some issue with recently." Arthur said, rubbing a hand across his face.

"You're leaving me here?" Matthew asked, wide-eyed at the thought of finding his own way back to his house. As much as he was enjoying spending the day with his brother, he found that there were some things that distinguished the two of them enough that made his own, quieter home more appealing to him. The thought that now that he belonged to Britain's house he wouldn't be able to keep his own home had his eyes watering and his bottom lip quivering, his stomach churning again as it had been doing the whole day. Hearing the despair in Matthew's voice at the prospect of another looming abandonment, Arthur reached across the table to grab a hold of Matthew's tiny hand.

"Only for a few days at most. Alfred will keep you company and be a gracious host, won't you Alfred?" Arthur said, his tone changing to a more stern voice to emphasize to Alfred to not run off on his own without his brother. Alfred nodded, but he too looked close to tears, earning another sigh from Arthur at how much his American colony loved to be with him when he'd visit. "I'll leave after dinner so I should be back late tomorrow or early morning the next day. I promise I'll make the trip with the utmost haste so as to return to you both as soon as possible." He said with a comforting smile, Alfred launching himself into a hug that Matthew was quick to follow with one of his own. Arthur laughed as he fondly gazed down at his little brothers, stroking their hair as they clung to him for a few more seconds before breaking away.

After dinner was cleared away and the remaining berry spread was stored away properly, Arthur reminded the two boys to bathe and then head to bed. Another forceful reminder to keep the door locked and to not enter his study, directed more to Alfred, was the last thing Arthur said before his goodbye.

Shortly afterward, it was clear to Matthew that Alfred had no intention of cleaning up if he could avoid it, so he resolved himself to trying to persuade his brother to clean up a little. His attempt to convince him only resulted in him facing the awkward situation of bathing with his brother, Alfred oblivious to his discomfort. The other had been happily chattering on as he showed off his toy boat that Arthur had gotten him for his long soaks in the tub, although Matthew doubted he played with it much since he probably never stayed in the tub too long. But his passive aggressiveness had Alfred doing exactly as Arthur had instructed and Matthew felt himself relieved to be in a bed after feeling so exhausted. He had been coughing since they'd taken their bath together and his head was feeling all stuffy, something that he'd tried to mention to Arthur but it seemed the other hadn't been paying too much attention. He tossed and turned in his bed until falling into a short slumber, awakening to find his brother shaking him awake.

"Oh good. You're up." Alfred said, sitting back on the bed. "You were havin' a nightmare or somethin' and your bear came and got me up…did he have to sit on me? That hurt…." Alfred said as Matthew sat up a little more in bed, coughing and trying to pull the covers up around him.

"S-s-sorry aboot that…" Matthew stuttered out, a chill running down him that made it difficult for him to want to do anything other than curl back up in bed. Alfred giggled again, apparently finding his accent funny, before looking more intensely at Matthew. "Well, thanks for coming to check on me…" he said, leaning back as Alfred crawled over to him, trapped up against the headboard as Alfred leaned in and touched his forehead to his brother's.

"Uh oh…you gots a fever." Alfred said. "Iggy gets 'em when he visits sometimes too. I'll take care of ya'!" He said, flashing his brother a winning smile before jumping off the bed and leaving Matthew to worry over just what his brother's version of 'care' might entail. He didn't have to wait long before Alfred returned, climbing back onto the bed with a few grunts of efforts. Matthew looked curiously at him as he noticed he was holding something in his hand, although it was too dark to actually see what he was carrying to him. But before he could ask, Alfred pushed his brother back into a more comfortable positon before placing something on his head. With a confused look on his face, Matthew reached up to find that Alfred had placed one of the biscuits he'd made onto his head. Unable to help himself, Matthew laughed at his brother's antics long enough that it turned to a small coughing fit.

"Alfred, that's not going to work. Medicine works." Matthew said, putting the biscuit onto the table next to his bed in the guestroom. But Alfred simply smiled back at him as he answered, "But it is medicine." Matthew rolled his eyes at his brother, bunching the blankets up some more around him. "How is that supposed to be medicine, eh?" he asked, Alfred coming to sit beside him and wrapping his arms around him.

" 'Cuz laughter's supposed ta be the best medicine in the world." Alfred said, Matthew smiling at his brother's thoughtfulness and good intentions. "But I don't have the key to Bwitain's office and he was awfully mad the last time I bwoke the door down…" Alfred said, Matthew laughing at the thought after having seen what his brother was capable of during the day.

"I'll be okay." Matthew said. "W-will you stay with me for a little while?" He asked hopefully, receiving an emphatic nod from Alfred. The two of them were drifting off to sleep again when Matthew realized he was going to be sick and hastily squirmed out of his brother's grip to run to the chamber pot in the corner of the room, losing the meal he'd shared with his brother earlier.

"Oooh….ewwww….."Alfred said as he saw his brother get sick. He hopped off the bed to help his brother stand back up, helping him walk back to the bed and hoisting him as gently as he could into the bed again. "I'll go get some water for ya….and I'll just have to deal with buildin' another door or somethin' for Iggy…" He said, not waiting around to listen to the pathetic-sounding protest of not angering Arthur from Matthew as the sick colony curled under the covers. Alfred returned quickly with the promised drink and then was off again after helping his brother take a few sips. Matthew heard a large bang that he knew to be Alfred breaking into their caretaker's office to rummage around for something to tell him what to do for his brother, but he had drifted off again before Alfred returned.

He was awakened again by his brother who had a large book tucked under his arm and another cup with something steaming in it that he'd placed on the nightstand next to the drink of water. "Mattie, I found somethin' for ya'. This book says it's good for ya' if you've got tummy troubles and a fever. But it also says that to get rid of an illness, you should try 'bleeding' the sick person too. Yuck!" Alfred said, making a face as he read from the book in the limited light offered by the moon. Matthew blinked blearily as he tried to follow what his brother was saying, but Alfred had picked up the cup and was encouraging him to drink from it. "It's just tea that Iggy likes to bring special with him. I'm not supposed ta touch it, but I don't have nothing else right now…" he said, Matthew feeling a little relieved and sipping the warm drink eagerly. Alfred left him alone on the bed again once he was satisfied that his brother didn't need help like he had with the water. "I'll be wight back." He said, scurrying off again. Matthew heard some sounds from the kitchen as Alfred moved around, returning with a bowl and a towel draped over his arm. Worried that Alfred was going to do as the book recommended about 'bleeding' a person, Matthew involuntarily let out an 'eep!' that startled Alfred as he was walking slowly into the room. The other boy jumped a little at the sound before recovering his grip. "Geez Mattie, you scared-ed me!" He said, walking over to the nightstand and carefully putting the bowl on it, although he accidentally knocked over the cup of water. "Oops…" Alfred muttered as he heard it hit the floor. "But I brought some cool water and a towel, like Iggy needs when he's gotta fever. It'll help, I think…" Alfred said as he climbed back onto the bed, Matthew getting exhausted just by thinking about all the climbing his brother had been doing. Alfred dipped the towel into the water and wrung it out before placing it on his brother's head, Matthew shivering.

"No, I don't want it." Matthew said, trying to push it away. "It's too cold." He said, Alfred huffing in frustration as he took the cup of tea out of his brother's hands to place on the nightstand. Taking the opportunity of his brother's divided attention, Matthew made to swipe the towel off but somehow Alfred had turned back in time to push the towel back on his head.

"No, no, no…" Alfred said quickly. "It's a good thing. It works." He said, gently dabbing it on his brother's forehead a couple more times before putting it back in the cold water to get it cold again. "I'll go find the stuff tomorrow when it get light out and make you that medicine if you still need it. But don't wowy about being sick – I'll protect you. Just like all the hewoes in all the good stories Iggy tells me all about. Hey, I can wead you one of 'em when the sun's out and I betcha you'd like it." Alfred said, lying down next to his brother. Matthew nodded his head in appreciation at the thought. He turned a little, making sure to keep the towel on his forehead so his brother wouldn't make a fuss about it again, and reached for his brother in the dark. His hands brushed over his brother's head and he pulled on him a little to get him to come closer.

"MMMMPH…." Alfred whined, squirming a little at his brother's touch and making Matthew think he'd tugged too hard on his brother's hair.

"Oh, sorry Alfred. Didn't mean to hurt you." Matthew said as Alfred took a couple of deep breaths. He pulled his hands away with the intention of giving his brother some space, holding back tears at how quickly he'd made a mess of things with being sick and difficult with Alfred.

"No, I'm okay." Alfred said, maneuvering up a little more to where Matthew had wanted him to move, snuggling into his brother's side as he tossed an arm over him. "Just no pullin' on Nantucket. It makes me feel all funny." Alfred said with a yawn. It took Matthew a moment to realize what Alfred meant about 'Nantucket' but figured it had to be his prominent cowlick. He mumbled something to his brother about not doing that again and thanking him for his help before yawning himself. "It's okay…" Alfred repeated. "I'm the hero." He said as the two of them drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Francis managed to persuade one of the nurses to allow him to quickly visit with Alfred, using his usual charm that left the nurse blushing as he winked and moved past the nurses' station. He was certain that would be where their missing third party had gone once they noticed that he was no longer with them as they were kicked out of the cafeteria. After getting in a few good shots to the Englishman, he'd effectively taken charge in pushing him to wait by the car while he retrieved Matthew. He smirked, thinking back on the several times throughout their history that he'd been able to so easily push the other nation around, but this time it wasn't for his own gain.

Stepping into the room, he found Matthew with his head leaning back against the wall as he sat in one of the chairs, sound asleep. Cautiously, he walked over to the sleeping Canada, briefly pausing as he looked at the still unconscious twin in the hospital bed. "Mathieu, temps de se réveiller un peu." He whispered as he gently shook Matthew's shoulder to encourage him to wake up. Matthew snapped to attention faster than Francis had expected, although he realized that it probably was due to already being on edge.

"Oh, salut Francis." Matthew said as he rubbed his eyes, Francis biting his cheek to keep from making any noise at how adorable he thought the other looked when still sleepy. It reminded him of the time he'd spent with him as a tiny colony. After a yawn, Matthew glanced hopefully to his brother and back to Francis. "Did he wake up? Did I sleep through him…" He started to ask, but was cut off by a shake of Francis' head, his shoulders slumping a little.

"Je suis désolé Mathieu, pas encore." Francis said with a shake of his head and a sympathetic smile. Matthew nodded, still a little reluctant to get up. But seeing that there was a lack of anyone else and that it was Francis and not Arthur in the room, he looked curiously at Francis for a moment. The other seemed to pick up on what he was thinking, pulling the boy to his feet. "I told fuzzy brows to wait by the car and that I would come and get you. He knows to yield to me when I…" Francis was saying when the two of them paused at seeing a couple of nurses come into the room.

"Oh, excuse us sirs but we need to check on him again." One of the nurses said, walking past them to stand beside the bedside. "We'll have to ask you to leave soon as well. I don't think either of you are permitted to be here after visiting hours." She said with a look to get them to understand that while gentle in tone, she wasn't going to let them linger.

"Can you tell us if the results from the bloodwork came back?" Matthew asked the two of them, hoping that one would have the information since neither girl was the one they'd spoken with earlier. One nurse with short blond hair looked to the other, older woman, Francis realizing that she was likely an intern and could persuade her more easily. "Please miss, he _is_ my brother." Matthew said again, the older woman glancing over to Francis.

"Oh, come now, Mathieu. I am trustworthy; and I helped to make him his own na-um…man when he needed the help." Francis said, catching himself before possibly saying too much to these nurses who may not have the same amount of information the first nurse they'd spoken to had been given about the personifications. Receiving a small nod from Matthew to encourage her to explain some more, the older woman began to talk as the intern took over what she had been doing.

"Well sir, the results suggests that he'd ingested too much of a common medicine available over the counter." She was saying, confirming what the other nurse had told them. "That and what appears to suggest that he must have been taking some diet pills that don't mix well with the type of cold medicine he'd taken. But the doctors estimate that he may wake up sometime tomorrow, so don't worry too much." She said, shooting Matthew a sympathetic smile.

Matthew was grateful that Francis was in the room with him at the time, as the older man placed a hand on his shoulder to support his former colony. "O-okay then." He said softer than usual even for him, giving a small nod.

"Not sure why he thought he'd need those diet pills. He's healthy and doesn't look too bad either…." The intern said with a small blush as she playfully smirked to the men in the room. The older nurse told her to hush and not be insensitive, but Francis smirked back at her as though to start another flirting conversation with the girl before Matthew elbowed him gently.

"We'll have to ask you to leave though." The older nurse said, Francis and Matthew nodding in understanding. Matthew walked back over to his brother to give his hand a quick squeeze as a goodbye before he and Francis left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Alfred blearily opened his eyes as he slowly woke up, nose scrunched up at the smell that greeted him. It was nothing like the usual way he'd wake up in his room, and there wasn't the lingering smell of something he'd squirreled away in one of his pockets. Instead, he realized that he wasn't in his own bed, nor in his hotel room. Vague memories of his brother and Arthur, and even something to do with Francis dragging him along had him piecing together what he could recall from the previous day. Sighing, he tried to sit up some, succeeding in only pulling on the IV in his arm. Quickly moving, and regretting it for the dizziness that it caused, Alfred managed to keep things the way he thought they were supposed to be set up. He grimaced a little at the sight of what his super strength had done to the setup beside him as he'd gripped it a little too tightly in his inability to hold his strength back at the moment. Briefly considering calling in a nurse to deal with the damage done, he settled for just turning the equipment a little as though to hide the slight modifications he'd made. He figured that since everything still seemed to be connected and working, he could just let himself get some more sleep, seeing that the clock read that it was only seven forty-five in the morning. While he could get up early and often did to watch the sunrise, he wasn't opposed to sleeping in either, drifting back to sleep pretty quickly and unaware of the slight break in the IV line he'd made that had liquid dripping onto the floor.

Arthur, Francis and Matthew had all made their way back to the hospital, Francis complaining that there was no suitable breakfast to be found in Arthur's homeland. Predictably, this meant that the ride from the hotel to the hospital was more or less filled with their typical bickering, although Matthew could tell that it was a little more forced for the sake of normalcy. But since visiting hours didn't officially start for another ten minutes, they were still sitting in the car. "That's it. I've had enough of your pointless drivel. I'm heading up now and you gents can follow at your own leisure." Arthur said, getting out of the car and storming back inside.

"Oh hon hon hon." Francis laughed sarcastically in his frustration. "And when you are banned from your own hospital for being a punk, don't come complaining to me, mon ami. I'm only here to provide you all with the moral support and fortitude that…" Francis was saying, receiving nothing but a rude hand gesture from Arthur before the British personification disappeared inside the hospital.

"Why do you have to aggravate him Francis?" Matthew asked he too got out of the car, the older blonde turning back to linger with him to put some distance between him and Arthur. "He's just as worried as I am. Maybe even more…" Matthew said as the two of them grabbed the bag of things Matthew had gathered from Alfred's room the other night.

"I cannot help it." Francis said. "It is just how we communicate. We are no worse than, say, Feliciano and Romano when they're having a conversation." He said with a shrug. "But I do understand what you are meaning and I do hope for the best for Alfred as well. It is why I am here, after all." He said with a small smile to Matthew as they leisurely made their way to Alfred's room. But as they approached, they found Arthur standing in the hallway, looking distressed.

"What is it? What's happened?" Matthew asked, resisting the urge to just bolt into the room. Arthur seemed startled that the other two nations had joined him, clearing his throat and standing a little straighter.

"Nothing Matthew. Just a lot on my mind at the moment." Arthur said with his usual stance that Francis had long-since recognized as part of the 'carry on' mentality Arthur adhered to. "You can go in and put that down. He's still asleep." He said, Matthew eyeing him suspiciously before he entered the room, leaving Francis to deal with Arthur.

"What's wrong, mon lapin? You look whiter than when Alfred scares himself with those silly films of his." Francis asked with genuine concern. Arthur looked into the room to see Matthew taking out some of Alfred's clothes as the other still slept. Seeing the other occupied, he pulled Francis away from the door a little to confide in him.

"I heard the nurses talking about his condition before they realized I was here." Arthur said. Francis' eyes widened but he gestured for Arthur to continue. "Do you want me to tell you what they said exactly or what I gathered from it?" he asked, looking back to see if Matthew would be sufficiently busy long enough.

"No I want ze highlights of your dramatic recounting of such espionage." Francis sarcastically replied. "Of course I want to know what they said, imbecile." He said, earning a frustrated growl from the other man.

"Fine." Arthur huffed. "The intern you wouldn't stop talking about was speaking with another nurse who had asked her if she'd 'told the family yet'. She replied that she hadn't, and wasn't sure she was up to it, mumbling something about 'it not being as easy to address the inevitable with them'." Arthur said, looking back into the room to see Matthew sitting down beside Alfred now. "After that it was more hushed, but she said something about an old wound that had apparently been reopened and that 'the cut on his chest' was a bit of an issue." He said, looking more agitated.

"Oh dear." Francis whispered, hand covering his mouth. "But are you sure they were most definitely talking about Alfred and not something or someone else. You know how carried away you can get with rumors." He said, Arthur crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're the one who likes to spread rumors when bored, or have you forgotten all the times you thought it would be worthwhile to spread rumors about Germany?" Arthur said in his usual irritated style. "I only went with you that one time because I thought psychological warfare was a good thing at the time." He said, eyebrows raised as he argued.

"True, true…" Francis said, hands up in a surrender position to calm Arthur down. "But I was just saying you can be a little dramatic at times. Take a deep breath, oui?" Francis said, awkwardly patting Arthur on the shoulder.

"And you aren't?! You're the one who…who…ooooh, don't touch me, twit!" Arthur said, shoving France's hand off his shoulder and taking a few steps away from him. Francis sighed, knowing how bottled up Arthur could keep his emotions until there was an explosion like the one he was facing right now. He didn't understand why Arthur hadn't picked up on all the advice he'd given him over the centuries about embracing being passionate, but he felt compelled to try again to comfort his friend, enemy, or whatever the two of them considered themselves to be today. He walked back over to Arthur, slinging an arm over his shoulders.

"Come, talk to big brother France, hmmm? I will know how to unblock that emotional constipation you chronically suffer from…" He said in a lighthearted tone, receiving another angry growl from the other. "You deny it, but you are deeply worried about Alfred. Once this is over, you two should talk – even if I need to lock you both in a room together; the bedroom, perhaps?" he said with a smirk, Arthur's face getting even redder as Francis teased him. "No, that would not be good. But neither would the kitchen…" he said with a false sigh of hopelessness. "I suppose I'll come up with something…" he said, Arthur wrenching himself from Francis' hold. "…because I do not think that getting drunk with you is a good idea right now." He said, Arthur apparently having enough of Francis' comments.

"Stop it. Just stop it. Shut up Francis." Arthur said, the two of them gaining some attention from the nurses. Francis just stood in the hallway laughing as Arthur apologized to the various nurses for the disturbance before begrudgingly walking back over to Francis. "If you'll calm down with all your ridiculous notions, you should be able to figure out why I am… _cautiously alarmed_ at the prospect of what I overheard being correct." He said, Francis giving him a nod despite the still amused look on his face. With an eye roll, Arthur continued to speak, "A scar over a nation's heart isn't all that rare as we both painfully know – and they can fade to practically nothing too. But for an old wound like that to open up again without any damage to the physical land means it's something as _Alfred_ that's wrong, not just as America…although I'm sure there's always something happening in Washington D.C." Arthur said, looking deep in thought.

"Ah, I see…you feel guilty." Francis said, Arthur looking like Francis had made another move on him. He sputtered for his words, settling on the eloquent, "I do not!", before crossing his arms again and refusing to look at Francis.

"Oui. You do." Francis said, steering Arthur into the room where Matthew had been standing in the doorway, curiously looking at them. "After all, it was you who gave that particular scar to him, was it not?" Francis said, seeing the hurt flash across Arthur's face briefly to let him know that he'd hit the mark on his evaluation.

"I…it…it was justly deserved at the time since we were at war." Arthur defended himself. "But I'm not guilty about it! Why should I feel guilty? Matthew's got a share in the blame too!" he said, clasping a hand over his mouth as he realized what he'd said, immediately looking over to Matthew. The other looked as though Arthur had just accused him of single-handedly delivering a fatal blow to his brother, grief on his face.

"Is that…is that why he's in here?" Matthew shakily asked, tears forming at the edge of his eyes. "That's why the nurse asked us about one of his scars?" He asked, looking over to Alfred as he slept as though expecting him to start disappearing at any moment. "Oh…m-maple…" he said, backing out of the room.

"Oh, now you did it Arthur." Francis said, the teasing tone leaving his voice that he'd been using to prod the true feelings out of the British man. "No, you stay here…" He said as he stopped Arthur from dashing out after the younger nation, "I will go talk to him. Wait here in case Alfred wakes up." Francis said, Arthur numbly nodding in agreement with Francis' plan as the other man left.

Arthur walked over to the chair that Matthew had been sitting in, leaning forward and letting his head fall into his hands as he tried to compose himself. He sat in silence, the only noise coming from the monitors attached to Alfred. But that silence was interrupted shortly after by a knock to the door and a cheerful-sounding greeting of "доброе утро Англия", prompting him to look up and see Ivan standing with an anxious-looking Toris.

"Oh, um…good morning Russia, Lithuania. What brings you here? Doesn't the meeting begin shortly?" Arthur asked as he stood up to shake hands with the other nations. He checked the clock, sure that the next round of meetings had been scheduled to begin at nine and realized that the other two would be late returning.

"Da, but Germany announced that ve should be postponing the morning meetings for the afternoon sessions. Something about not being able to handle a hungover Италия and his brother that early in the day." Ivan said with a shrug. "I suppose Feliciano was worried enough about you slaughtering him for vhat happened to Amerika to hide behind his brother and Prussia in the hotel's bar most of the day yesterday." He said with a cheery smile in place before reaching into one of his large pockets on his coat. Arthur's eyes widened at the bottle of root beer-flavored vodka that he pulled out, looking to Lithuania for any possible cues. But the other nation made a motion behind Ivan's back to encourage Arthur to take the offered bottle, prompting Arthur to reach out with a smile and grab a hold of the bottle.

"Oh, well, that's ah, very thoughtful of you Russia. I'm sure America will appreciate knowing you stopped by while he was ill." Arthur said, placing the bottle on the tiny window ledge. "How did you know we would be here, if you don't mind my prying? I was certain the only ones who were informed were China, Japan, and Germany…" Arthur said, seeing Toris looking at Alfred with concern as well.

"Oh, da. But I vas very persuasive vith China." Russia said, smile still in place as he ignored the shiver that Arthur and Toris shared at the thought of how Ivan persuaded China to divulge that information to him. "I was curious to know vhat had become of our товарищ after vhat happened at the meeting yesterday. And Литва here, I remember, used to live vith Amerika for some time and I knew how much he'd like to visit with me." He said, placing a hand on Toris' shoulder, prompting the other man to wince a little as Ivan intimidated him. "Is he dying?" Ivan abruptly and bluntly asked, Arthur unable to catch himself in time to prevent the stunned look from crossing his face. "I do not think the nation vould be vithout a personification for too long. Ve may be rivals sometimes, but still, it vould be a shame." Ivan said as though talking about losing a favorite hat or something rather than the loss of life.

"N-no, I mean, well, he's…" Arthur tried to respond, but Ivan seemed to not be paying attention anymore to the other blond. Instead he just walked closer to Alfred, letting go of Toris who quickly walked over to the other side of the bed to speak with Arthur. As the two of them talked, Ivan tuned them out as he thought about the possibility of dealing with a different entity to act in Alfred's place. "Da, a shame." He said a little quieter.

* * *

Ivan was not pleased as the growing sense of things shifting around in his house became more and more prevalent over the past decade. Many of those with whom he shared with his house were either doing their best to hide the fact that they'd been packing up their things or were brazenly open about their own countries' plans once they could move out. Ivan had been easing up a little due to his boss' request, but he still managed to keep a sense of control over his household when provoked enough. He had been planning on taking a quiet stroll down to the meadow where he knew sunflowers were regularly grown when his plans had been interrupted by a series of loud bangs on the door.

"Hey commie bastard!" Alfred's loud voice filtered through the house as he yelled to Ivan, spurring some of the nations more hopeful to be leaving soon to pay attention at America's intrusion. "C'mon man, don't leave me hangin' out here, dude. I don't wanna be here either, man, but my boss is meetin' with your boss today and it seemed like a good idea to just drop by….." Alfred continued to talk through the door, only briefly pausing to acknowledge that Ivan had reluctantly opened to door. "Hey, uh… До свидания…"He said with a wide grin.

Ivan sighed again, although slightly amused. "Zhat is goodbye. I vill be shutting door now then, da?" He said, making to slam the door in America's face.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait!" Alfred said, using his foot to block the door being shut on him. "Hey, I tried. You could all just learn English, well, _American_ English…." Alfred said as he pushed his way into the foyer despite Ivan's best efforts. "And I was tryin' to tell ya that I'm here to…" he was saying, sighing a little as he looked like a child being forced to make friends with someone that someone else had told him to say 'hi' to – and he probably had been told just that, except had learned how to say 'goodbye' instead through either ignorance or a subconscious desire to leave the situation as soon as possible. "….well, take in the sights, I guess. Figured you'd know what's best – and I'm supposed to bring you back for the final photo op. Didn't Gorbachev tell ya' that?" Alfred finished up as he looked around Russia's house. Spying Lithuania, a genuine smile lit up Alfred's face.

"Toris! Hey, dude! Long time no see!" Alfred said as he walked over to the other nation who was now shaking as Ivan watched with a stony expression as America greeted the more timid man with a one-armed hug. "Man, it's been a while. How ya' been here with Ivan?" Alfred asked, slipping into using human names as he dropped any pretense of being formal with Russia.

Toris looked over to Ivan with fear in his eyes as he tried to think up a suitable response that wouldn't result in Ivan being a little rough with him later. "I-I've been well, Mr. America…" He mumbled, standing a little closer to the superpower that claimed to be the hero, just in case he felt he might actually need one in the immediate future. He could tell that Ivan wasn't satisfied with such a short, vague answer, but couldn't seem to call him out on anything just yet; especially with Alfred still in the room and so close to him. But Alfred, as usual, didn't seem to have read the atmosphere and just patted Toris friendly on the back.

"Glad to hear it, dude. You should totally call me more often. I miss hangin' around with you sometimes." Alfred was saying, walking down the hallway without an invitation. "Gonna show me around or what Ivan?" Alfred said, spinning around to cockily smirk at Ivan as he made his way further into his house.

"Da, or vhat…" Ivan muttered, a dark aura surrounding him that had Lithuania cowering as he passed by him. Ivan shot a look toward Toris before catching up with Alfred as he entered the kitchen. "Amerika, it is rude to just help oneself to another's possessions." Ivan said, the other nations still lingering nearby unsure if he meant the paska bread on the counter or the other nations Alfred had become familiar with himself.

"Sorry dude, but it takes forever to get here from where I live. I'm starving and there wasn't much to eat on the way here." Alfred said, finishing up the slice of bread he'd cut for himself. "I'll pay ya' back with a movie or somethin' while I'm here. Ya gotta have some good films, right? They're not still in black and white are they?" He asked, earning another cold look from Ivan.

"No. Films in my country are just as good as your greedy Hollywood. Ve even pioneered several advances in filmmaking." Ivan said, but Alfred just shrugged. "Whatever. But we gotta hit one of the McDonalds you have here now. Or grab a real pizza or somethin'. You know the saying, 'Man cannot live by bread alone' and that's seriously all I've had so far to eat since I got here." Alfred said, Ivan just shaking his head.

"No. I vould not be vanting to eat any of that if I must also be spending the day with you." Ivan said, plastering his smile onto his face. "Would you not rather have genuine Russian dishes that you could brag to the other nations that you have tried? Britain would be most jealous to learn you had beaten him to it…" He goaded, receiving the usual childish response from competitive Alfred.

"No way could anybody beat me…I didn't even know we were playin' that game. I'm in! Iggy's gonna be so jealous…" Alfred said with a laugh at the thought, making Ivan wonder if he'd possibly gotten himself into something even more troublesome and time-consuming than he'd have hoped. "But you gotta lighten up with me dude. I mean, you're supposed to have had that whole 'glassy nose' thing goin' on that's making everybody over here be able to, you know, get to be more like America." He said with his typical exuberant smile, not at all aware that Ivan was not enthused to hear what he had to say.

"What you mean by 'glassy nose'? That is not a comment about my people and our vodka, is it?" He asked, sounding only curious like a young child, but the other nations could tell that there was another meaning to his question and backed away. But Alfred only shrugged in response, not intimidated by the other superpower.

"What is vodka supposed to do to your nose? Does it make it turn blue or somethin' cool like that?" Alfred asked in the same tone, although his was more genuine. Ivan looked as though extremely confused and not sure where to go with that question. But before he could respond, Alfred continued talking. "But I was talkin' about that thing with your boss, that dude with the birthmark, right? That whole 'glass' somethin'" He said, Ivan recognizing what he was trying to say.

"Ah, you mean 'glasnost'. Da, da…is something we are working with here." Ivan said, unwilling to be too talkative about that with his rival. "But I was unaware that I was supposed to have met with you. I apologize for any rudeness of my behalf." Ivan said, attempting to get back on topic.

"Yeah….well…I might've just convinced my boss to let me come along at the last minute." Alfred admitted, not looking too guilty about it. "I mean, it's been a while since I visited and I thought it'd be a good idea to hang around with my boss…but he had other plans. Must've had somethin' to do that was real important with his guys. Oh, well." Alfred said with a shrug. "Bush will definitely talk to me later about what's up."

"Da, vell, I did have a few plans of my own, but I am happy to accommodate you America." Ivan said through his frustration at the other nation apparently doing what he wanted. "Russians are very hospitable and I vill share with you a few things while you are here." Ivan said, a bit of an ominous cloud forming around him.

"Awesome. I love sharin' stuff. I've even been sharing some of my stuff here with you." Alfred said, shooting Ivan a happy look. Ivan chuckled at that, Alfred continuing to remain oblivious to the potential situation that he was building as he acted like he normally would around anyone. "I do it all the time. Since you brought up Britain, I even shared the Beatles with him." Alfred said with a smirk.

"I do not think that is the case. They are a group of British musicians, America, not your own." Ivan said, his dark cloud dissipating at the sincere childishness of the other nation.

"Yeah, technically, they're British. But they had to come to me to get big." Alfred said, pointing to himself with his thumbs. "I mean, doesn't anyone who wants to hit the bigtime come to me? Plenty of your guys' athletes and scientists did the same thing." He said, Ivan rolling his eyes as he stood up from the seat he'd taken across from Alfred as the other had continued to munch on the bread while they talked.

"Do you vant me to show you around, or not? I understand if you're possibly still tired from your trip and vould like to rest in one of the many rooms in my house, da?" Ivan said, Alfred immediately picking up on what the other was implying and sensing the danger.

"Yeah….no thanks dude." Alfred said, standing up as well as he brushed crumbs off of himself. "But if you had plans already, I can come back later…" Alfred said, sounding as though he really was trying to just be nice with Ivan simply for the sake that he had nothing else to do with his time and didn't want to have the other superpower ignore him.

"Nyet…I vas just going to visit the meadow about a mile down the road." Ivan said, smiling cheerfully despite feeling disappointed that he'd have to put off his indulgence for another day.

"Well, hey, that sounds pretty awesome. I love spending time outdoors." Alfred said, face taking on an eager expression. "Can I come too? Please, please, please, please, please, please…." He said, bouncing on his feet in excitement. Ivan leaned back a little as Alfred inadvertently invaded his space.

"Da, sure. If you vant to go." Ivan said, not entirely confident he wanted to share with his rival his favorite place that was a private and personal spot for him. But Alfred beamed at him, grabbing his arm and heading for the door.

"Great! Let's go!" He said, Ivan letting Alfred drag him out down the hall. Alfred shouted out a goodbye to Toris as the two of them passed, Belarus standing beside the door with a murderous expression on her face. But Alfred passed her by with only a fleeting glance, Ivan shooting her a wary look as the two of them headed down the front steps and towards the dirt road Ivan had indicated. "Straight in this direction?" Alfred asked, letting go of Ivan's arm. Receiving a nod, Alfred laughed. "Race ya' there!" He said, taking off in a run to beat Ivan to the meadow. Ivan briefly toyed with the idea of letting the other man run away on his own before giving in and taking off after him, catching up so that the two of them reached the end of the road at the same time.

"W-where's this…meadow…dude?" Alfred asked between pants as the two caught their breath. "And I think I beat you…by a hair….literally…" He said with a breathless laugh as he indicated Nantucket.

"Not likely Amerika…but it is this vay." Ivan said as he led the way through the dense bush. A few steps in, Alfred found himself stumbling into the other man's back, the two of them stumbling a bit. "Vhat are you up to, capitalist…." Ivan turned to say, insult ready to be flung at Alfred but Alfred was ready for it.

"Me? I keep getting smacked in the face with the branches you don't hold back for me!" Alfred said, running his hands through his hair to get the leaves from the branches out of his hair. "Your scarf must be coverin' your eyes if you think I'm trying to pull a sneak attack on ya'" He said as he stood closer to Ivan. He reached out to grab an end of the scarf, but Ivan was quicker and caught his hand.

"My scarf is _my_ scarf, America, and I do not share it with just anyone. Do _not_ touch." Ivan said, voice dropping a little. But Alfred's own temper was ignited as Ivan gripped his hand tightly, the American roughly pulling to release the other's hold.

"Dude, if you don't let go…" Alfred said, but Ivan chuckled at the threat left hanging by the other. Alfred let out a frustrated growl before yanking on the scarf with his free hand. Before either of them knew it, they were wrestling with one another as they stumbled through the brush. However, at one point, Alfred concluded that Ivan's scarf was as cursed as some of Arthur's ancient things as it seemed to attack him on its own. Struggling against the binding the scarf created on his arms and blocking the blows from Ivan, the two of them hadn't realized they'd reached the edge of the brush and the top of the hill that marked the beginning of the meadow. Finally breaking free of the scarf, Alfred felt himself lose his balance, tugging Ivan down with him as he'd reached for his scarf back and been thrown off balance as well. The two rolled down the hill, bouncing and landing in the patch of sunflowers that Ivan had intended on seeing. They lay on their backs a moment to catch their breath, Ivan tensing and getting ready to continue when he realized that Alfred was laughing.

"Ha, ha ,ha…oh, man….that was fun…ha, ha,ha….and so stupid…" He said, looking over to Ivan as he laughed. "But hey, we're here!" He said, throwing his hands wide. Ivan took a moment to realize that Alfred was right, feeling the urge to fight receding as he looked around, letting himself fall back onto his back. "It's pretty here." Alfred said as they gazed upward.

"Da. I think so too." Ivan said, sounding content. "You may not look for it, but there is plenty of beauty to be found in my lands too America. It is not all wastelands as you think of Siberia, and not always winter." Ivan said, closing his eyes as a breeze drifted over them.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Alfred said. "Hey, if you like sunflowers so much, next time you're over my place, there's a bunch of sunflower fields I could show ya'. It'll be fun and we can snack on sunflower seeds too." He said, cushioning his head with his arms. "You usually spend the whole day here?" Alfred asked, Ivan still focusing on the offer to visit America that Alfred had willingly extended.

"Nyet….vell…da. Sometimes I lose track of time here, but Ukraine usually comes and finds me." Ivan said. "And I may take you up on your offer, if you can be quiet for a little while." Ivan said, Alfred laughing a couple of times again before complying. The two spent the rest of the day out there, Ivan surprised to find that Alfred had drifted off in the sunflower field and finding it easy to do so himself.


	10. Chapter 10

Ivan came out of his musings, noticing Toris and Arthur muttering lowly to each other. Walking stealthily over to the eastern European, he surprised him as he yet again placed on hand on the other man's shoulder. Toris stiffened noticeably, Arthur worried that the other man would need to share a room with Alfred if Ivan kept giving him such bad scares.

"Vell, ve had better be going now, da?" Ivan said, Toris looking as though he would rather not leave with Ivan if he could avoid it. "The vodka vill be good for him. Alcohol kills all germs, does it not?" Ivan said with a smile, Arthur blanching as he tried to politely respond.

"I'm not entirely sure that's how the alcohol is meant to help, Ivan, but it is appreciated all the same." Arthur said, his sarcasm leaking through. But Ivan seemed to overlook that as he smiled again. "Either way, have a good day Britain." Ivan said, walking toward the door, with Toris. "Best of health to Amerika" Ivan said before the two of them walked out into the hallway, leaving Arthur to let out a sigh of relief that one awkward situation had taken care of itself. He only had to worry about how Ivan would chose to deal with the information he'd learned about his rival, dreading the idea of any more visits that he'd have to make himself sociable for to handle. He did wonder if Ivan came simply to see if Alfred was at death's door though, or possibly because the other man considered it the decent thing to do. He sat back down heavily in the chair, rewarded for his dealing with Russia and Lithuania by seeing Francis and Matthew walk back into the room a few minutes later.

"Arthur, did we see Ivan and Toris getting into ze elevator?" Francis asked as he stood beside Matthew, encouraging the North Americans to take a seat. Matthew's eyes were a little red, a sure sign that he'd broken down in Francis' company about what had been said.

"Yes. He apparently 'persuaded' China to tell him where Alfred was and decided to bring Toris along for some reason – probably because he knows Toris has some medical expertise and might have provided him with additional information." Arthur said with a roll of his eyes. "He brought him a bottle of vodka too. But he was mostly quiet; just kept staring at Alfred as though lost in thought. But that's Ivan…"Arthur said with a shiver.

"Is there something wrong with the scar from the War of 1812?" Matthew interjected, apparently unable to keep putting this conversation off. "I mean, we just had a bunch of bicentennial celebrations to honor the 200 years of peace between us. Alfred and I went to a big celebration at his Fort McHenry and signed a "Declaration of Peace' and everything…." He was saying, curl bouncing as he looked back and forth from Francis to Arthur.

"I don't recall that. When was that?" Arthur asked, trying to recall any notification from his boss to attend such an event. But Matthew continued on with explaining. "At the beginning of all the ceremonies. My prime minister and yours taped short speeches that were played at the event, along with Alfred's president. You don't remember because you didn't show up." Matthew said, looking less than pleased that Arthur had forgotten about the event. "I sent you an email too, but I guess you were doing other things."

Arthur looked a little abashed at having not gone to such an event, although there were other things he'd been doing at that time too. "Well, I'm sure it went well regardless. I'm sorry I didn't attend Matthew." He said, knowing how much the other nation would've valued the acknowledgement since he was almost always overlooked at the world conferences. "If it makes you feel any better, you can blame Francis…" He said with a tone that aimed for lightheartedness.

"What? Me?" Francis said, taken aback at the accusation and looking sharply away from Matthew to Arthur. "How do you think you can blame me?" he asked incredulously.

"If anything, I was probably dealing with the commemorative ceremonies for the battles I had to deal with against your general with the inferiority complex." Arthur said with a smirk, enjoying how Francis was getting worked up.

"Napoleon was an excellent general." Francis said, ready to launch into the virtues of one of his countrymen. "You just never recognize the brilliance of my people unless they backhand you with it." He said, Matthew shaking his head. He was considering interrupting again the two nations who had dropped back into arguments over their long history of skirmishes and wars, hoping to get them back to focusing on Alfred again. However, he thought he saw a slight movement from his brother's hand. "Al?" He said, leaning forward towards the bed. "You waking up now, eh?" He asked gently as he took his brother's hand, gaining the attention of the two bickering nations. But Alfred only briefly squeezed his hand as the only movement from him, Matthew unable to keep from looking disappointed.

"This is a good sign Mathieu." Francis said, releasing his hold he'd had on Arthur's shirt to stand beside Matthew once again. "He normally is difficult to wake up on a good day. He'll wake up when he's ready." Francis said, Matthew nodding in agreement for a lack of anything better to do.

"Still, I thought he'd be waking up. You two are loud enough." Matthew said, before realizing what he'd said and snapping his head up to look at the two other blondes. "Oh, I-I didn't mean to say…" he began to say with a light blush, worried about what either might say.

"No, don't worry about it Matthew." Arthur said, a blush tinting his own face as Matthew forced him to realize how childish he had been. It was similar to Francis' comment that one time during a meeting of Allied powers when he'd called him and America out for being too argumentative when other things where at stake – even if it had been a 'fashion emergency' according to the Frenchman. "You're right. But it shows that Alfred's possibly becoming more aware. As much as he usually is anyway." Arthur said with a smile to Matthew, the group falling into silence again.

"Ciao a tutti" A distinct voice said from the doorway, Arthur taking in a deep breath at the prospect of yet another visit. It would seem his efforts to keep some privacy had completely been for naught as he saw Feliciano standing timidly next to Kiku, who looked uncomfortable with having his former fellow axis power standing so close to him. Kiku also politely greeted the others, Matthew being the one to invite them inside but the two of them waited for Francis to repeat his invitation before stepping inside. Matthew sighed as it seemed the two visitors hadn't heard him, but refrained from saying anything else as he chose instead to watch for any other movements from his brother.

Feliciano cheerfully bounded over to his 'Big Brother France' rather than face the possibility of an irate Britain. "Look at-a what I've found! Finally! America thought we might find it in the UK but it was-a just sitting in the book store across the street!" Feliciano said, thrusting a book into the surprised Francis' face. "See! See! Kiku says it's not-a what he was talking about but this is just what America and I need" He said excitedly as Kiku more calmly greeted Matthew and Arthur. Francis took a step back to avoid getting hit by the over-exuberant Feliciano, grabbing the book to try and make sense of what he was so excited over. Seeing the large bold letters "The Atmosphere" with a long subtitle, he curiously flipped through the book. "Feliciano, what are you talking about?" Francis asked, unsure why a meteorological and climate-oriented book would be so important to the other nation, nor what connection it had to the resting nation.

"Ve~, America told me that Britain told him to read "The Atmosphere". Kiku recommended the same book to me, so we've been looking in bookstores for just the right one. We've read lots-a these kinda books, but we don't think we've hit the right one yet." Feliciano explained as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Germany says I'm missing the point, but America thinks it's like a scavenger hunt for the right one and scavenger hunts are fun, don't you think?" He continued, innocently looking to Francis for encouragement.

"Ah, well…" Francis started to say, looking over to Kiku and Arthur to see the two of them with amused expressions on their faces. "Then I suppose this will make America quite pleased when he wakes up. I'm sure he'll be eager to read it with you, but I do not suppose you've read very many, have you?" Francis asked, laughing at the idea.

"Oh yes, well…" Feliciano said with a shrug, "…not so much-a me, but America finds them interesting. He says-a they remind him of some of his past friends, like a Mr. Franklin with his electricity." He said as he glanced over at Alfred. "He actually can tell you a lot if you ask. He usually reads aloud when we're – a sharing the book so that I can make the pasta." He said, Francis nodding along at the believable situation.

"Well, like I said, I'm sure Alfred will be happy to know you've kept up the search while he's been ill." Francis said, handing the book back to Feliciano. "But,'ow did you know to come 'ere, mon ami?" Francis asked.

"Russia-san came into the dining room for breakfast this morning and, ah, spoke with China-san and I."Kiku said by way of explanation. "It gained some looks from the other nations, incruding Prussia who must've woken up Itary-chan. He met me in the dining room, asking for me to take him here for a visit." He said, Feliciano nodding in agreement of Kiku's story. "I aporogize for not being able to keep things as calm as you had intended, Britain-san." Kiku said, turning to Arthur with an apologetic smile. Arthur nodded in understanding, Arthur recounting his earlier unexpected visit and offering a seat to Kiku. As Feliciano got comfortable in the remaining chair and began to read from his new book, Francis pulled Matthew aside to let him know he was going to see if he could charm the nurses into allowing a couple more chairs to be squeezed into the room. Arthur excused himself before following after Francis, aware of just what Francis might try to pull on his British citizens, leaving Kiku and Matthew to listen to Feliciano reading. As he approached the second chapter, Kiku found himself reminiscing about a time when he and America weren't as close friends as they were now, although it seemed like Alfred could quite easily shift gears to being friends even while fighting.

* * *

Kiku struggled with the controls of the airplane he'd been flying, which he had assured Germany that he could expertly pilot. He'd been doing well with a bunch of his countrymen as they flew over the Pacific Ocean, except that they'd miscalculated the American airships and warships position and were now facing intense dogfights with American and British airmen. He watched as a few of the other planes in his squadron were shot down with the anti-aircraft weaponry on those ships, bracing each time he heard the boom from the ammunition being tossed up into the sky. He felt a small amount of satisfaction at seeing flames on one of the ships, although that could've been the result of anything at this point. His internal processing of his next possible move was cut short as he felt the plane shutter, ducking a little as the left wingtip was damaged on his plane.

He gasped as he struggled to hold the plane level, shouting out commands to his remaining squadron as best he could, aiming to glide to the water as softly as possible and as far as he could from the center of the ships. But he knew that control was an illusion at this point as the plane kept dropping, steering toward the mass of ships in the hope that he might do some damage if he hit one. But he hit the water first, his strap barely holding him in his seat as he was forcefully launched forward. He shook his head to clear his swimming vision, grasping in panic at the stuck strap to undo it as the cockpit rapidly began to fill up with water. He pulled on it a few more time before stretching to try and reach the blade he had stored behind his seat with the intention of cutting his way out. The glass that was currently the only thing stopping the ocean from immediately swallowing him, was cracked in several parts and he knew that he'd have to try and smash his way through to get out. His fingertips grazed over the hilt of the katana, and he struggled to reach it as the water reached up to his chest. He was almost with it in his grasp when the plane twisted from something else hitting the water nearby, the water increasing exponentially and knocking the katana out of Kiku's grip.

He pulled again on his strap but with the water up to his chin, he knew his chances of getting out were next to nothing and he took one more large breath as the water covered his head. He closed his eyes, resolved to facing his end with as much repose as possible, thoughts in his mind of what might become of his nation and if perhaps another personification would ever be born if the war did too much damage. He was feeling the burn in his lungs for air starting to overwhelm him when he felt the water around him swirl as the glass covering the cockpit was shattered. He had expected that to happen sooner or later as he sunk, but he was unprepared for the tugging on his strap and his upper body. Horrified that his death would switch to being eaten alive by a shark rather than drowning, he opened his eyes to peak out at his attacker and found himself baffled by the sight of a blond head of hair. They weren't too far under the surface so that someone could've reached him, but the thought of a rival soldier jumping into the water from one of the ships to tear him out of the plane seemed to him as though the lack of oxygen was playing tricks on him.

He didn't fight back, the other man successfully pulling the strap off the seat altogether and lifting Kiku out, dragging him back up to the surface. The two gasped as they broke through, Kiku coughing up the water he'd begun to choke on. The other soldier swam the both of them over to one of the smaller ships in the water that were serving to pick up any men they could find, Kiku glancing up to see no more planes shooting at each other and hoping that meant that the remaining members of his squadron had been able to retreat with the new information about the Allies' location. He grasped the edge of the boat and was hoisted into it by a couple of men who were helping him and the other man.

"Hey Japan." An American voice said, Kiku looking up into Alfred's face as he panted in the boat. "Good thing I was here, huh?" Alfred asked as he leaned over to come face to face with the Asian nation, Kiku letting his head drop as he realized that not only had been taken prisoner by enemy troops, he was personally in the hands of another personification – the one he'd brought into the war. "Knew you'd be in the head plane. Great big dot on the side like a bulls-eye. Ha, ha,ha…" Alfred laughed, sitting back as the boat was paddled back to the large warship. Kiku couldn't help but look back up at Alfred with a glare at both the degrading way his flag had been described and the fact that somehow the Americans and the British had known he'd personally be in the squadron.

"And how did you discover that, America-san" Kiku asked, upset with the fact that he would now be in a debt to the other nation since he had just saved him from a watery grave.

"My codebreakers are the best." Alfred said with a wide smile. "But that's all I'm sayin'. Last time I said somethin' to Britain that I probably shouldn't have….oops." He said, Alfred shrugging at how his ally had over-reacted to the mention of building fighter planes that could outdo the British man's planes. "But, you should be worrying about that cut to your forehead. I'll make sure it gets wrapped nice and tight." Alfred said, a slight undercurrent of hostility in his voice that clued Kiku in that the childish nation had a nasty recoil when provoked. And he knew that the other personification had been eager to get with him in a one-on-one situation, making Kiku wary about his future. "And then we'll see what your buddies Germany and Italy have to say. Especially since Germany's pretty much done at this point and Italy's not going to be much help for ya'" Alfred said, Kiku forcing himself to keep his stoic expression as the other nation prodded him for a response.

The boat had pulled up alongside the larger ship and all the men exited, Kiku choosing to remain silent as he was led by Alfred to the ship's medic. Alfred stood by the door while Kiku had his head bandaged, arms crossed over his chest in a way that Kiku found more intimidating than he had considered before. He'd only ever been in a fight with the American personification that time when they were all stranded on Seychelles' island, and each time they'd begun to fight, something would interrupt before the self-proclaimed hero could attack. Now, in such close quarters, he worried about how the larger man would proceed. Italy had often gotten himself sent back home through his usual antics that had grated on his captor's nerves to the point that they'd prefer to just send him back. But he found that the other personification who was watching his every move, wasn't going to be the same as the Europeans he'd been dealing with during the war. If anything, America was just as boisterous as Italy and trying to annoy him to the point of him releasing him wasn't an option. Instead, he thought that if he perhaps just stayed silent, that would unsettle his captor enough to get himself sent back home. Home was better than to one of his allies, America's assessment of the others' capabilities in aiding him correct.

After being led to private quarters, Kiku looked curiously at Alfred for answers. He had been expecting the brig due to being enemy nations, although the idea of privacy appealed greatly to him. "I did pay attention when I visited Japan before. I know being in the brig would be torturous enough with the other prisoners, not all of whom are Japanese." Alfred said with a smirk, Kiku's eyes widening as he realized that America probably still had prisoners from other Axis powers that the ship was in the process of transporting to holding facilities. The thought of having to share such close quarters with citizens who didn't share the same sense of personal space was horrifying indeed. "And since you are still injured enough to require the medic to check in on ya', you can have my bed for the night." Alfred said, motioning for the other to enter. "But don't go gettin' any ideas about escapin'. I'm sleepin' on the floor against the door, and my gun isn't leavin' my hand." He threatened, Kiku swallowing at the trigger-happy nation's threat. He had no doubt that the slightest suspicion on the other's behalf, if he wasn't his typical cheery self, might result with a bullet lodged somewhere in his body. He nodded and went into the small quarters, lying on the bed immediately and unable to stop the sigh of relief on his aching body that even the hard bed provided. Alfred laughed as he shut the door, propping himself up against it as he sat on the floor. The two remained silent, Kiku hesitant to simply fall asleep although he lay with his eyes closed and shifted his body around from time to time.

The sound of a gun being handled had him opening his eyes and looking over to the door to see Alfred fiddling with his gun. "Let's play twenty questions…." Alfred said, a chill running up Kiku's spine. He felt like kicking himself for falling into the trap set by his captor of being gentle and accommodating for him only to yank it all away to get information with the promise of such comforts returned. "I'll give you the first clue, just to start ya' off. It's not an animate object." Alfred said, Kiku taking a deep breath as he read into the statement to mean himself. He refused to respond to his captor's cruelties though, but the next thing Alfred said had him wondering what to think. "Come on dude, I'm bored and it's an easy game. You know how to play, right? 20 questions and then you guess what I picked. I gave you one, so c'mon. 20 questions." Alfred said, shifting a little on the floor in discomfort.

"Um…what is it?" Kiku asked about the game, not sure what was going on. Alfred laughed loudly as he normally did.

"That's not allowed! You gotta ask, like, is it big or small? Or…." Alfred said, looking up as he thought about examples to give that wouldn't give away what he was thinking about.

"You want me to pray a game with you?" Kiku asked in bewilderment, not expecting that from his captor. Alfred nodded enthusiastically, although the gun clutched tightly in his hands ruined the childish image that was otherwise the American personification. "O-okay. But, why?" Kiku asked, Alfred sighing.

"'Cuz the war is this close to being over." Alfred said, indicating a small space between his fingers. "Your boss, or bosses, whatever's goin' on there, are the ones dilly-dallying with the Potsdam Declaration. Waitin' on Ivan for somethin'….that's a brilliant idea…" Alfred said with an eye roll.

"Potsdam Declaration?" Kiku asked, Alfred's eyes widening and he hit himself in the forehead with his palm.

"Right, not yet…Well, your boss is gonna get one heck of a letter any day now from the Allies." Alfred said, looking upset that he'd let that slip. "But since you're gonna be my guest when it shows up, no harm in lettin' ya' know about it a couple of days in advance." Alfred said, Kiku sighing at the inevitable call to surrender that Alfred was talking about. "Hey, you're lucky Arthur's got this bug up his butt about royalty or else we'd be calling for the end of your emperor spot." Alfred said, earning a glare from Kiku. "But come on, dude. In here, it's just us two. Alfred and…what was your human name again?" He asked, Kiku surprised at the statement.

"Kiku Honda" Kiku said, struggling to sit up. But Alfred made gestures for him to stop moving, although not doing so by pointing his gun at him like Kiku had expected. Giving up with trying to understand the back and forth thought process, Kiku decided to just play along with Alfred, the two of them talking for a while as the Asian nation formulated a guess. "Hmm…I guess that you are thinking about that jar of jerry beans on your desk." Kiku said, Alfred smiling widely as he pronounced Kiku right.

"Arfred-san, why would you have such a rarge jar of them?" Kiku asked, wondering why the other nation would be taking such care to keep them from getting knocked around.

"Oh, those are for Arthur, er, Britain." Alfred said as he waved his hands around as he talked, making Kiku a little nervous. "Yeah, I thought he'd like the surprise I got for him since he's had a number done to him. I even had to ask one of the grim reapers to play along with the promise of sharing a drink with him to keep Arthur from being taken by him…Oh!" Alfred said, eyes widening as he realized he'd said something else private. "Please don't tell Arthur that. He doesn't know why I'm afraid of ghosts so much – he thinks I've been making all that up like he makes up those fairies of his. He can't know it wasn't him 'carrying on' so he could yell at me for pretending to be happy about his 'imminent' death. Please don't tell him once you're back home." Alfred asked, Kiku's own eyes widening at the request. Numbly nodding as he felt his head spinning from both Alfred's behavior and his injury, he barely heard the 'thanks Kiku' from Alfred as he drifted off.

He'd stayed aboard the American ship for a little while longer before things got more intense. And after the bombs had been dropped that left him in agony every day for nearly a solid year, Kiku was met not only with the concerned face of China when he'd woken up, but also that of the one who had dropped the bombs in the first place. Alfred had mentioned something about the bombs making sure that a war like the one they'd been fighting wouldn't happen again, and that he'd be hangin' around to try and help out. Kiku had been bitter for a while, but through the persistence of the North American nation, he found himself becoming closer than he'd thought and considered the other man a friend.

* * *

Kiku's thoughts were broken as the steady strain of Feliciano's voice paused for a moment. He looked up as Francis and Arthur walked back into the room, each carrying a chair. "Matteo, I'm not too sure what-a this word's supposed to be…" Feliciano said, holding the book over to Matthew who had been sitting on the edge of Alfred's bed.

"Oh, do you need any help?" Kiku said to Arthur and Francis, his accent coming through despite efforts to work on pronouncing the 'l' as expected in English, although he was pleased with how much better it sounded to his own ears. He stood up to make room for the additional chairs, Arthur quickly diving for the vodka bottle that Kiku had inadvertently knocked into as he moved. "My aporogies, Britain-san…" Kiku said as Arthur sighed in relief that he'd caught the bottle.

"Ah, not to worry. Crisis averted." Arthur said with a smile as he held up the bottle triumphantly. "Russia would not have been pleased to learn his gift had been used to sterilize the floor should he somehow hear of any mishandling, however accidental it may be." He said, scooting behind the chairs to hand the bottle to Matthew.

"He would only learn of it should you imbibe a little yourself." Francis said with a teasing grin. "I do not think you could handle more than a shot of that strong stuff." He continued, Arthur breathing deeply through his nose to try and avoid rising to the bait, Francis laughing along with Feliciano. But seeing the unamused look Arthur shot toward him, the timid Italian looked down and cleared his throat to continue reading aloud to Alfred. Debating on whether or not to say anything and instead just sitting in the chair at the foot of the bed, Matthew was the one to notice one of the nurse's peeking into the room.

"Oh, sorry…I didn't want to disturb the little get-together you've put together here." The young woman said, Francis turning at her voice and noticing the intern from the previous night. "I can come back in a few minutes." She said, walking into the room despite her words to quickly assess how things were.

"Non, you may join us, mon cher." Francis said with a seductive edge to his voice, making the intern blush. "The more the merrier and Alfred here does love large crowds." He said, Arthur scoffing at the other's blatant flirting that he was unable to hold back even at the hospital bedside of a fellow friendly nation. The intern shook her head at his offer and made to leave, stopped only by the fact that her necklace fell off.

"Oh, don't worry about that." She said as she bent over to grab it off the floor beside Matthew, who had made to politely hand it back to her. Arthur cleared his throat at the sight of Francis and Feliciano appreciating the view of her backside as she bent over, Kiku averting his eyes in his flustered state. "Yeah, the catch for the chain doesn't hold anymore. But it was my grandmother's medallion – St. Joan of Arc." She said with a fond smile as she tried to reattach the necklace. At the mention of that saint's name, Arthur watched as Francis' smile slipped off his face. Seeing the intern having some difficulty, he stood up and helped her put it on properly. "Oh, thank you, but you don't have to do that…" She said, sounding a little uneasy at having a stranger help with her necklace.

"Non, it is my pleasure." Francis said with a softer voice than before. "Your grandmother…" He started to ask, the intern catching onto his question and nodding.

"She and my family are Catholic and she thought it fitting to give me her mother's medallion since I was born on the saint day for Joan of Arc." She said with a smile, not seeming to mind admitting that to the other man.

"Yes, it is most appropriate." Francis said with a tight smile. "You look like her." He said, earning a surprised look from the intern.

"You think?" She said, toying with her short hair. Francis gave a nod and the intern shrugged. "I suppose I might. But it's been a while. I doubt anyone recorded what she actually looked like. Crazy times back then." She said, walking back to the doorway. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I'll stop in the other patient's rooms first." She said, receiving nods in response at the unspoken question to make room for her when she returned.

Francis sat back down heavily in his chair, looking over to Alfred rather than anyone else. "Big brother France…" Feliciano timidly began, Francis looking over to him. "…you alright?" He asked, Francis nodding a few times.

"Oui. I am fine Feliciano." He sighed. "Crazy times indeed. Hundred years war….what a ridiculous name your people came up with for all those battles." Francis said to Arthur, the other having been waiting for the eventual barb to be tossed his way at the sore spot of Jeanne d'Arc.

"Your people call it the same thing." Arthur said, crossing his arms over his chest. "The fact that there was another twenty or so years of fighting seems to get overlooked."

"Yes, but I was not the one to…."Francis began, a dark look on his face that Feliciano didn't need Kiku's sense to read into. The Japanese nation stood up, shuffling over to stand at the foot of the bed where Matthew was, urging the other man to take his seat so that they could possibly deter any fighting. Squabbles and their usual roughness with one another was one thing, but the two European blondes' gazes were medieval at the moment and Kiku knew that things could get seriously hostile.

"Oh, you did _plenty_ then too Francis. But notice I'm not speaking your language." Arthur said with a wicked smirk, Francis practically snarling at the other. "You're the one who went behind my back to my brother Scott, just like you did with Alfred." Arthur said, standing up as he spoke to Francis.

"Alfred came to me because you don't understand that 'no' means 'no'." Francis said, standing up as well, Feliciano ready with his white flag and book still in his hand. Arthur huffed as though laughing in disbelief that France would say such a thing, knowing that France had been just as pushy.

"Yes, and his ideas worked out so well for you when you got back home, didn't it? Or did you want to redecorate the streets with crimson?" Arthur said, getting in another jab at Francis. The other European blonde shifted his stance as he stood his ground, ignoring the tugging on his shirt by a frightened Feliciano just as Arthur was ignoring Matthew's and Kiku's attempts to calm down.

"That is not the issue here, mon ami…" Francis said without the usual affection he placed on such terms when speaking with Arthur, "…You are just stuck on his Revolution for some ridiculous reason. You ignore Matthew and you've had other colonies grow up and move on, but you're too arrogant to try and comprehend what is going on now." Francis said, Arthur leaning back from his own fighting stance at Francis' words. Seeing the opportunity to keep going, Francis continued. "Ugh…it is so pathetic. Your people have moved on and as 'The Bloody United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland', you've moved on, but as Arthur…well…who knew you were so insecure? You and I have fought, like you said, for centuries and I know you better than you think through all that fighting and allying and fighting again. But you fought with Alfred for what? Only a couple of decades? Yet you still have it in your head that he's out to betray you so you decide to curse him…put him in here." Francis said, Arthur's face going red in rage at what Francis was saying. "You've never understood him at all for all your efforts, no? He would ask you to stay and you'd leave him to fend for himself to the point where when he tried to do so, you got scared and held him back any way you could. And you still can't handle it after how much closer he's tried to become with you. It is no small wonder that he was an isolationist for a while." Francis said with a final smirk.

"You arsehole! You have no idea what things were like between him and I back then!" Arthur shouted. "And I have no issue with him no more than I have issues with you. I still think about it because I want to understand why trying to do everything that didn't make me like _you_ with raising him, things still got complicated. You call yourself ' _Big Brother France'_ only because of some damned ego boost you always seem to need, not because you've ever as _Francis_ been caring to anyone other than for your own needs. The first thing you ever said to me wasn't about being brotherly, but that I was you're _servant_ from then on…And Alfred became as arrogant and misguided as I'd done everything to avoid, still stuck in that childish mind that you made sure to keep from ever expanding. And he quickly tore himself apart with a Civil War that other nations don't even reach until much later in their development, if ever." Arthur said, arms flailing as he spoke. "Look at Matthew. Has he had a civil war?" Arthur asked, briefly glancing at the Canadian. "Those rebellions in 1837 and 1838 hardly compare to Alfred's or any of mine." He said before redirecting his ire to Francis. At this point Feliciano was being urged out of the room by Kiku, only to be stopped by Francis as he grasped onto Kiku's arm.

"Where are you two going? Just because Britain has no propriety doesn't mean that you two need to leave." Francis said, not quite making it a suggestion as he pulled them back over. He and Arthur continued to throw insults at one another over Matthew as he stood between them, the invisible nation sighing before realizing that there was an additional sound other than the shouting voices. Looking up, he noticed Alfred's face scrunched up and one of the monitors giving off an intermittent beeping noise.


	11. Chapter 11

Alfred could vaguely hear voices shouting as he tried to place where he was in the large building he found himself to be in, surrounded by but distant from all the other men standing on the floor. He heard a beeping sound and as he tried to figure it out, his vision cleared a little as his mind rationalized it as a bell toll. "No, I remember this, but this can't be…" Alfred said, bracing as the voices dramatically grew in intensity as he realized he was somehow back in 1929 on that day that had him falling to his knees in pain as the economy struck back at him. Except this time there was no coughing up blood, only panic as he realized there was no Matthew beside him to help him either. He backed away as he clenched his middle from the pains he knew to be phantom pains, but he couldn't help wincing a little.

He backed up, looking down until he noticed that the marble floor had turned into tall grass, prompting him to look up. He noticed it had gone from morning to at least mid-afternoon, and he looked around to try and figure out where he'd gone. He'd only taken a few steps before he heard the bugle horn he'd been hearing at several reenactments lately for the sesquicentennial of one of the most difficult periods in his life. He could feel the twisting in his gut continue as gunshots began to fly around him, men appearing on opposite sides of the field he found himself to be standing in. He called out for them to stop, knowing they wouldn't listen but hoping there might be something different if he was only at a modern retelling of the events. But the men seemed to not hear him and the fierce looks on their faces made him shiver as he relived the inner conflict he'd had all over again. He ran from the middle of the field, feeling bullets whizzing past him as he aimed to reach the covering of the trees. He fell to the ground as he heard cannon-fire, quickly getting back up to resume running and reaching the trees. He leaned against one to catch his breath before realizing they weren't trees that would have been native to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It looked more tropical and as he looked back in the direction he'd come all he could see was the smoke generated from the muskets and cannons.

Turning back around, trying to calm his breathing as his confusion and discomfort mounted, he pushed forward only to realize that he was in Vietnam as he recognized a helicopter getting ready to take off in a clearing not too far ahead. He trudged his way over there, thinking about the memory of this war and its impact on any other fighting he'd be caught up in. He'd reached the clearing and was trying to get one of his own men or any Vietnamese citizen's attention, but was cut off as more shouts came from the helicopter's radio and it began to quickly take off as more people piled inside. Alfred covered his head as the wings began to kick up the dirt around it, mingling with the gunpowder that had followed him so that he was forced to clench his eyes shut, coughing as the dust seemed to come from everywhere. He stumbled forward, his foot hitting the edge of what appeared to be a step.

Seeking any form of shelter from the dust storm, he climbed the series of short steps to a door, pushing it open and shutting it behind him quickly. He rubbed the dust from his eyes as best he could, covering his mouth with his sleeve. Looking around, he found his shelter to be a small farmhouse that he found comfortingly authentically American, although the appliances and furniture appeared to date from the 1930s. "All this dust…I'm…I'm back in the Dust Bowl…and in the middle of one heck of a storm…of course I am…" He murmured to himself, coughing a few more times as the smoke and dust continued to cling to him despite being inside. He tried to find an area without a window, flinging open doors here and there unsuccessfully. He tried another door, but instead of being met with more wind-blown particles of dirt that were scraping his skin, he was greeted with a wall of flames along with the smoke.

He tried to back up into the farmhouse, but the door had disappeared and he was standing in the middle of a burning room. His coughs kept coming as he tried to find an exit, realizing as he ran through the building that the architecture was incredibly familiar and that there were many objects he'd last seen in…."The older White House…" Alfred sputtered out, horrified to find himself reliving the experience. He maneuvered to where he remembered a door to the outside to be located, listening to the shouts he heard coming from the outside. Wrenching it open, he stumbled out of the burning building, falling to his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He was feeling dizzy from the rapid shifts in place and time that he wasn't questioning, but he was also incredibly thirsty as though the flames had dried up everything in him too. As he made to stand, he heard laughter he recognized as belonging to Arthur.

"Arthur, please, this is over. We're not enemies anymore." Alfred said, getting to his feet. "You know this. We're friends, or at least I'm trying. We're…" he was trying to explain, but Arthur laughed again.

"We are nothing, America." Arthur said, grabbing a hold of his gun and aiming at Alfred. "And when I take this land back, I won't be as soft on you as I was before, spoiled brat. You stabbed me in the back once but I'll burn you to your very core like you tried to do to Matthew." He said, his voice loud and clear despite the shouting that Alfred continued to hear. He couldn't see anyone other than Arthur, but it sounded as though there were more people nearby. Alfred tried to respond but found himself unable to voice his thoughts, eyes widening at his sudden muteness.

"You attacked me and you attacked him – both of whom you called brothers at one time. Do you think Matthew will still call you brother after you tried again to make him a part of you? It failed in the Revolution and it failed this time too…but not before you hurt him." Arthur said, walking closer to Alfred. "Burning York and terrorizing its citizens… no wonder you've got a bit of an uprising in Massachusetts against this war. Burning the heart of a colony doesn't hurt as much as a nation, Matthew's pain eased by my presence…but that doesn't mean he isn't capable of fighting back." Arthur said, looking over Alfred's shoulder. Alfred's eyes widened as he realized too late that someone was standing behind him, swiftly turning around only to find Matthew with his hands around his throat. He gasped as he struggled to breath, falling to his knees as his brother's grip remained firm. He shut his eyes as the world began to spin more, but the grip vanished as he felt the rain that had immediately came after the fire to the White House began to fall. He took gasping breaths as he opened his eyes, finding that the White House had disappeared along with Matthew and everything. All except the rain and Arthur, still aiming the gun at him much as he had done during the Revolution.

"You have no true friends, America." Arthur said with a mocking sympathetic tone. "And you've no family left. You've ended that all by yourself. You're alone. And this time…I will shoot." Arthur said, pulling the trigger. Despite the rain that should have dampened the powder and doused the fuse on his musket, the gun fired and Alfred clenched his eyes shut as his hands grasped his chest. He felt something shake him and he forced his eyes open, resolved to make one final plea. "Don't fire Arthur!" he shouted, his gaze being met with panicked green eyes.

* * *

As Arthur and Francis screamed at each other, Kiku trying to interject calmly while Feliciano squirmed as though fighting the grip on his sleeve Francis had, Matthew noticed something was up with his brother. He tried to get past the arguing nations as he watched his brother's face scrunch up as though in pain, the monitor beeping to inform them of something while Alfred's heartrate elevated. Alfred's mouth was moving as though to say something, but Matthew couldn't hear over the shouting between Francis, Arthur and Kiku.

"Arthur please!" Matthew said, resorting to pushing the British man with his own brute strength, Arthur stumbling a little at the unexpected shove. Francis laughed while Arthur recovered, looking to Matthew for an explanation. "Look! He's in trouble!" Matthew said, making to move around the end of the bed to get to his brother's side as Arthur had done. But as he did so, Alfred suddenly kicked out wildly, knocking off the footboard of the bed in his night terror-induced panic.

"Alfred! Alfred, love…it's okay. It's okay." Arthur said as he leaned over, grasping the other man's shoulders to keep him still. "Alfred! Open your eyes, Alfred!" Arthur said before looking up to shout to Francis to hit the call button for a nurse. Francis scrambled to do just that, Feliciano backing up against the wall while Kiku struggled to help Matthew out from under the piece of the hospital bed. "C'mon Alfred, c'mon dear." Arthur said, running one of his hands in what he hoped was a soothing manner over the other's hair. Matthew had disentangled himself at that point and was by Francis' side as quickly as he could, leaning onto the bed. He would have also tried to hold onto Alfred if not for Francis holding him back, explaining that they shouldn't be smothering him and to make room for when a nurse did come into the room. As Alfred seemed to struggle to breathe, Arthur continued to try and calmly wake him up with his words and soft-spoken encouragements. But his tactics changed when the group watched as Alfred began to take gasping breaths until he stopped taking in air.

"Feliciano, go grab the nearest nurse!" Francis shouted over to the shaking Italian as he continued to hold back Matthew from trying to get involved to the point of contradicting whatever Arthur might be doing to aid Alfred. Feliciano jumped and opened his eyes to look at Francis." Now, Feli!" Francis said, the urgency in his voice startling the other nation into taking off into the hallway to go find help.

"Alfie! Wake up Alfie!" Matthew shouted, reaching out to touch his brother on the top of his head as Arthur resorted to shaking him to shock him into awareness.

"You git! Don't do this!" Arthur shouted before practically lifting Alfred off the bed to drop him back onto it. "America!" He shouted, rewarded with a shuddering gasp as though Alfred had been released from some hold. "There you go, love, there you go." Arthur said, relief in his voice as Alfred seemed to relax until he suddenly launched himself upright.

"Don't fire Arthur!" Alfred shouted, his hands grasping his chest as he panted. He looked into Arthur's face, the older blonde looked incredibly disturbed and concerned at the sudden plea directed to him. He was about to ask Alfred what he was talking about but his focus was directed to the fact that when Alfred looked down at himself and pulled his hands away, there was a small amount of blood on them. "Wha-what…" Alfred managed to stutter before looking back up and over to Matthew. His eyes went wide as his gaze looked slightly off to Matthew's side. "R-reaper…" he whispered before he fell back into Arthur's hold and closed his eyes. Arthur caught the taller nation as he sagged into him, one arm around his back as he propped him up to pull the gown down, seeing the small bit of gauze on his chest that had become reddened slightly.

"What's going on?" Matthew asked, hands to his mouth as he and Arthur stared at Alfred. Arthur pulled the gown back up before gently laying Alfred back into the bed, contemplating what answer he could give. Francis looked as though he too was trying to answer Matthew, his hold on the boy tightening comfortingly. Kiku stood off to the side a bit behind Arthur, debating on whether or not to keep the promise he'd made to his friend about his ability to see ghosts when Feliciano came running back in with a couple of nurses. With that, they were promptly pushed out into the hallway and directed to a lounge by the nurses to wait until they'd looked over and cared for Alfred.

"What was that all about?" Feliciano asked, not reading the atmosphere at all and not waiting for the others to compose themselves before asking. Francis sighed at Feliciano's typical behavior, although Arthur didn't look ready to answer yet. "Why does Britain look whiter than his usual pasty white?" He asked, Arthur's head snapping up at that remark with an unamused expression. Feliciano whimpered and took a step back. "What? I-a only want to know what-a happened…" He said.

"Alfred had a really bad nightmare about Arthur apparently." Matthew explained, taking pity on the other nation. "It must've been really, really, terrifying for him to stop breathing like that. What do you think he was dreaming aboot?" Matthew said, turning to Arthur. But the other man simply shrugged, not trusting himself to answer without a few tears making their way down his face. "And did he say reaper?" Matthew asked for the sake of keeping someone talking.

Kiku fidgeted a little, unsure if he should say anything. His normally stoic expression was in place, but Arthur seemed to pick up on the other's indecisiveness. Looking up to face the Asian nation, he asked what Kiku had been dreading. "You know what he meant, don't you?" Arthur said, Kiku receiving everyone's attention at that point.

"I do not think I can be terring you. I made a promise to America-chan to not terr, especiarry to you Britain-san." Kiku said. "He specificary mentioned that you not hear about it. And it was a promise made in return for saving my rife. I cannot terr."

Arthur ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Damn your honor, man, tell me!" Arthur said, Kiku's eyes widening at the outburst. "Kiku, think about it." Arthur said a little more calmly, seeing how Matthew and Feliciano were now stuck to either side of Francis. "You saw what happened in there. Any information that can help him get better I need to know so I can save my brother!" He said, voice rising as he spoke. Francis had to bite his cheek to keep from pointing out what Arthur had called Alfred, but made the judgement to wait and toss it back at Arthur later once things were not so tense.

Kiku swallowed in his nervousness, looking down before sighing as glancing back up at Arthur. "Very werr…America-chan….Arfred-kun…he mentioned when I was his prisoner once that he can see some ghosts." Kiku said, Arthur looking as though Kiku could have told him something as equally ridiculous as though Alfred was really from outer space.

"Come again?" Arthur asked disbelievingly to Kiku, the other man shrugging. "I had been praying a game with him when he tord me about having made a bet with a reaper to keep it from taking you at one point." Kiku said, Arthur's eyes widening in remembrance. "He said something about pretending to be happy so that you would push to keep going so that you could yerr at him. I did not know you had been injured so badry to be in the hospital, Britain. Were you?" Kiku asked, sincerity in his voice as he asked for verification of his friend's story and claim.

Britain numbly nodded, hand grasping behind him as he looked for his chair to sit back down. Matthew pushed it over to him just in time as Arthur sat down, face showing a thoughtful expression as he processed what he'd been told. "But he's always said he hasn't ever had any talent – or belief – in magic. The Salem Witch trials made it difficult for me to persuade him otherwise…" Arthur said, looking over to Matthew as though for further clarification.

"Well, maybe he simply prefers science to magic, mon ami. That does not mean he hasn't ever had any experience with it" Francis said with as much of a shrug as he could pull off with Matthew and Feliciano still by his side on the small couch. "'Ow could he not with so many different groups bringing their own versions of magic beliefs with them? New Orleans is a great example." He said with a smirk to his old holdings in North America. "I am guessing he simply does not acknowledge it and without practice, he has forgotten about it. But it is not that different from…oh…doesn't one of your brozers possess a similar ability?" Francis asked, Arthur nodding as he thought about his brother Wales' supposed ability with ghosts. As he thought about it, it didn't seem too out there with everything odd about the personifications that one of Alfred's 'uncles'' abilities was passed along to him.

"I wonder if there's any other magical talents he's not using…at least, not aware of using. Maybe his super strength is one of those." Arthur said, running a hand across his face.

"Ve~, do you have any magic skills too Matteo?" Feliciano asked, leaning over Francis to ask Matthew. The other's face turned red as he became the center of attention. But he merely shrugged, not having much history with any introduction to magic due to Arthur's hesitance to show him after the lack of a response from Alfred. "What about that bear you-a always bring to the meetings? Don't you make him talk?" Feliciano asked, curl bouncing as he tilted his head in thought. Matthew's eyes widened as he thought about it, but he still shook his head.

"No, that was Ar…Britain who gave Kumajiki the ability to talk. He did it when I was very young." Matthew said, but Francis shook his head.

"No, I am sure your bear used to mumble when you were with me. I do not think I heard actual words, but you two certainly understood one another." Francis said to Matthew, the other one biting his bottom lip as he tried to remember.

"You asked me to make him speak English so I cast an enchantment to help _you_ understand English and all that wand waving over your bear was more to humor you than anything." Arthur said to Matthew, still looking a little overwhelmed at Kiku's news. "I thought it was a surprising that it worked and figured Francis had done something before he left. You must've been the one to keep that up yourself, especially since that bear is the same one from so long ago and he's still speaking. I never actually stopped to think about that." Arthur said, Matthew looking increasingly overwhelmed himself.

"Oh, that is-a so neat!" Feliciano said, breaking the tense atmosphere. "You should-a come over to my house and make all the cute kittens in the street talk! Or better yet, we can-a go visit Greece's house, right Kiku? Greece would-a love to have a conversation with a cat!" He said with a cheerful smile, Kiku blinking rapidly at the suggestion. "Oh, maybe one-a them will tell you if she needs-a glasses or something and then we can make tiny kitty glasses. It'll be so cute!" Feliciano said, continuing with his idea at the newfound ability of Matthew's, not paying attention at all to the gestures Matthew was making in the negative to his ability to do any magic. Francis meanwhile had been chuckling at the sight of Matthew and Feliciano as the plans for kitty glasses grew more and more elaborate.

But the lighter mood was broken when Arthur suddenly gasped and sat up straighter. "Glasses! Matthew, I need your glasses!" He said, grabbing the pair of glasses off the other boy's face before he could protest.

"B-But…Arthur, _I_ need my glasses." Matthew said, reaching out for his glasses as Arthur walked away. Arthur was mumbling something over the glasses, Kiku looking nervous at what Arthur was up to.

"Mon lapin, what are you up to now?" Francis asked with a tired tone to his voice, having been as up and down emotionally as Arthur. He may not have been Alfred's big brother at one time like he had been for Matthew, but he'd been a significant factor in the other's early history and he'd talked at great lengths with the more outspoken twin many times when Arthur had turned his efforts away. He'd confided how when he'd made friends with a Japanese whale, Arthur had offered to be friends with him under the assumption that Alfred had befriended the creature because he'd had no other friends. At the time, he'd been determined to show that he could handle being on his own just fine, and he really did find it humorous, so he'd laughed off the offer and ran off. And after Alfred had helped to release Francis from Ludwig's hold, Alfred had spent plenty of time taking care of Francis, even if he'd gone about a peculiar and thoroughly _American_ way. He'd learned about his efforts to help out and spend time with Arthur on a more personal level other than the purely political efforts coordinated by their bosses that they often had to cater do – although there were plenty of actions that as personifications they undertook themselves, such as Alfred's role in his revolution. And Arthur would often talk to him about Alfred, some days referring to him only as America if he was particularly unable to think about him as his brother because it was too difficult.

Arthur finished up with his chanting and slipped the glasses on his head, looking comical with Matthew's glasses on. "Arthur, what are you doing?" Francis asked again, a small chuckle accompanying his question at the sight of a speckled Arthur.

"I enchanted them so I can see the ghost Alfred's supposed to have seen. But I need to hurry." Arthur said, walking forward. Unfortunately, not needing glasses, he couldn't quite see things clearly enough to avoid tripping over the edge of the coffee table in the room. "Oooh, blast..." Arthur mumbled as he stumbled to catch his balance, Kiku reaching out to steady him, immediately apologizing for having touched the other nation.

"Arthur, you cannot expect to be of any help if you cannot even walk properly." Francis laughed, but Arthur had already taken off back to Alfred's room, even though a nurse hadn't come back for them yet. "Arthur, wait!" Francis shouted out, but Arthur was long gone, prompting Francis to struggle out of the hold Matthew and Feliciano had on him. But Kiku made a halting motion with his hands. "Do not worry, France-san. I will forrow." Kiku said, slowly following after the other nation while the other three lingered in the lounge.


	12. Chapter 12

Alfred was settled back into the bed as comfortably as he could be with it having been damaged by him during his intense nightmare. He'd apologized to the nurses once he'd realized he was the cause of the damage, but they'd been patient with him.

"We've cleaned up that bandage but are you sure nothing is hurting other than the remaining headache?" One of the nurses asked after explaining things to him. Alfred was about to respond with the usual 'heroic' and 'tough guy' response of 'I'm fine', but the look the nurse was shooting him was eerily similar to the one Arthur would send him, minus the heavy-set eyebrows that only emphasized the intimidation.

"Ah, I'm dizzy and it kinda feels like I got a charlie horse in both my legs." He said, one of the nurses coming over to check his legs. The other was checking the monitor to see why it had been going off.

"No wonder you're like that – the IV's been damaged somehow. You're probably just dehydrated from the stuff we've been giving to counteract the effects of the other medication in your system." She said, Alfred doing his best to look completely clueless as to how the IV had been damaged. "We'll get you another one and you'll get some color back into those cheeks." She said with a smile. "But try not to fall back asleep just yet until you've had some water." She said, the other nurse handing him a cup and standing beside him until he'd finished it all. Once that was done, the two left him alone to return to where they had been originally working before Feliciano had a breakdown in front of them in order to get them to follow him.

Alfred tugged on the newly attached IV, frowning a little at having to stay still in the hospital for so long, especially after having seen one of those reapers. He'd been absolutely terrified coming out of his nightmare to find himself face-to-face with the man who'd been playing the main role in the final part and then finding a reaper standing beside his brother. It had made the panic and confusion over reopening the cut on his chest more heightened and the dream seem more real, as though he really was at his end. He sighed and had resolved to just waiting for the others to eventually wander back in if he hadn't scared them off when a movement in the corner of the room caught his eye.

"Ahh!" he shouted as he jumped a little in the bed at the sight of the reaper emerging from the shadows. It glided over to the stand beside the nightstand, leaning over the bed and causing Alfred to nearly forget to breathe as it got closer to him.

"Hello again" It said with a British accent, Alfred confused for a moment before vaguely recognizing the eerie and breathy voice as one he'd heard before. He hadn't made a habit of talking to the ghosts he'd seen in the hopes that they wouldn't bother him, but he'd made exceptions now and then.

"Oh, it's you." Alfred said, readjusting his position on the bed as he tried to recover whatever dignity he had as the reaper seemed to find his reaction amusing. "I…uh…didn't recognize you. Same face as…all the others after all…he,he.." Alfred said with a nervous laugh.

"That's all right. I tend to spend most of my time around here. But it's nice to get in a few words with someone not about to pass on." The reaper said, leaning back a little. "That's a rare treat indeed. As is this…." The reaper said, pointing with a bony hand to the bottle of vodka Matthew had set down.

"Oh, right…" Alfred said, running a hand across his face. "You need an invitation or somethin', right?" He asked, trying to recall the exact details of the deal he'd made with this reaper. He'd told him he'd share a drink with him if he won the bet that he could get Arthur to keep fighting his injuries from the panjandrum; and if he lost, he'd lose Arthur. But he'd been pretty confident the reaper was more inclined to throw the game at the prospect of an invitation to a drink and company and Alfred had been ready to comply, so long as nothing else was wagered.

"Um…go ahead." He said, the reaper grabbing the bottle and filling Alfred's empty cup halfway before taking long gulps. "Whoa, dude…you may not be as lightweight as the living with that stuff, but I'd ease up if I were you." He said, wondering how the reaper drank the liquid since he looked to be basically a floating skeleton with a black cloak. "By the way, I did not appreciate the whole peerin' over my brother's shoulder. I thought you were comin' for me…nearly gave me a heart attack man." Alfred said, watching as the reaper refilled his cup.

"But I knew you'd share a drink with me." The reaper said, sounding pleased with itself. "You weren't supposed to wake up anyway with that tear in the IV line. Just supposed to sleep until I came and got you'" the reaper said, Alfred's face going white at that admission.

"Well, ah, anytime you wanna share a drink when I'm in here, I'd be happy to help ya' out if I can…" Alfred said with a forced, tight smile.

"Cheers then, mate." The reaper said before taking another swig. Alfred looked over to the bottle to see that the reaper had downed about a third of the bottle.

"Oh, dude, seriously. That's a ton of vodka you've had." Alfred said, twisting to pick up the bottle in his curiosity to see where it might have come from, although all his guesses would be on Ivan. As he stretched he pulled again at the cut on his chest. He hissed as the tape holding the gauze pulled on his skin.

"That has your friends and family worried. They too think I'm here to take you based on that injury." The reaper said, Alfred thinking that if there was more than a monotone to the reaper's voice, it might almost sound both amused and curious at the same time.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…I was helpin' out on one of the ranches back home when some of the farming equipment had a bit of a malfunction. There was metal flyin' here, there and everywhere" Alfred admitted, internally thinking that maybe that memory and that of being in war may have clashed and created those images from his nightmare. "But hey, hero's gotta save the day, right? And it barely got me – this cut's just in a bad spot on my chest and I keep openin' the stupid thing before the scab's been healed up." He shrugged, the reaper taking more to drink. "But since it's a chest wound, I suppose they're probably worried about it being my old scar from when my capital was burned. That's all." Alfred said with a shrug, yawning at the end.

"Hey, if you're gonna keep drinkin' all that, aren't people gonna, you know, be able to see you? Drunk kinda does that to ya', right?" He asked, the reaper waving his hand dismissively. "Alright, I warned ya'. But could you hand me the water pitcher?" Alfred asked, the reaper reaching for the pitcher as Alfred requested for him to do. Except that since he'd already had plenty to drink, Alfred wasn't too surprised when the pitcher was nearly pushed off the table. "Never mind, dude, I don't feel like takin' a bath right now. Just leave it there." He said with a laugh.

"Yes. Perhaps you are right and I have had, possibly, a little much." The reaper said, replacing the lid for the vodka bottle. He turned back around to face Alfred, the other yawning again in his sleepiness. "I will leave you now. Don't fall back asleep for a few hours. As much as I enjoy a good drink, I do not think you would like for me to wish you a speedy return here." The reaper said, Alfred smiling at the attempt at humor from the reaper. He looked back up at the skeleton face, holding back the shiver that was crawling down his spine. "Yeah, but I get the point. Take care dude." Alfred said, the reaper extending a hand to him. Alfred was about to shake it in farewell when the reaper disappeared at the loud cry of "Alfred!" that came from the doorway.

Looking through where the reaper had been, Alfred wasn't sure if he'd drifted off back to sleep at the sight of Arthur in what were clearly Matthew's glasses. He let his hand drop to the bed in exhaustion at the simple conversation he'd had and closed his eyes in experimentation to see if when he'd opened them, Arthur would still be there looking as he did.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no…." Arthur said as he rushed over to him. "Wait, the heart monitor's still going." Arthur said, a mix of relief and frustration at what had happened. "You git! Playing dead just to mess with me! How stupid are you to take the hand of a reaper?!" he said, cuffing Alfred's head gently as he fussed.

"Wha?" Alfred said as he opened his eyes, Arthur still with Matthew's glasses on his face. "Why ya wearin' Mattie's glasses?" He asked as he looked at Arthur. "And I'm tired. I wanna sleep….wait, you saw the reaper?" Alfred asked, eyes going from drooping to being wide awake at that. He knew the reaper had been on his way to completely wasted, but he thought it would've taken a little longer before he'd have been visible to anyone else – it would seem there wouldn't be any deaths for at least the rest of the day with the amount of alcohol consumed.

"Yes, I did, and we are going to have a talk about that later." Arthur said, Alfred still bewildered at the mention of Arthur seeing the reaper. He was pretty sure the other man hadn't the time he'd been mortally wounded.

"How'd you see it? How'd you even know to look?" Alfred asked, trying to sit up straighter only to have Arthur fuss over him again. As much as he really wanted answers, he didn't want to actually stop the caring ministrations Arthur was performing as he gently helped him sit comfortably and was petting his hair.

"I enchanted Matthew's glasses." Arthur said, Alfred making a face at that. "You're not gonna give 'em back to him like that, are you?" Alfred asked, earning an amused laugh from Arthur.

"No. It's not supposed to be for very long either." Arthur said, Alfred nodding along in acceptance of that plan. He would hate to have his brother deal with that, even if it did make for a good Halloween prank. "And as for why I knew to do that, you mentioned a reaper when you first woke up. And Kiku filled in the rest of the details." Arthur explained.

"Oh, man….that traitor." Alfred whined, Arthur smiling at Alfred's typical behavior. At that point, said traitor came into the room hesitantly, spotting Arthur sitting on Alfred's bed beside him. "Hey, you spilled the beans. Not cool dude." Alfred said, Kiku looking sheepish.

"I am sorry, America-san" Kiku said very formally, disappointed with himself and hoping to put things back to where they'd been as close friends. "I refrained from discussing it for as rong as I possibre, but I thought it best for you…"

"Oh, don't blame him." Arthur said, still sitting beside Alfred, unaware he'd still had his arm protectively around the other man's shoulders as though expecting to see another reaper at any moment. "I'd asked him to tell me when it was clear he knew something we didn't. And you should be grateful he did." Arthur said, Alfred throwing his hands up at the barrage of insults that had already started with the other man.

"What are you yellin' at me for? I'm the sick one here." Alfred said, expecting another harsh word or cuff to his head. "Least you could do is cut me a little slack….I _did_ just wake up." He said with a yawn, his cowlick waving back and forth as he looked between Alfred and Kiku. But Arthur simply ruffled his hair a little roughly before pulling away slightly.

"Yes, well, I suppose this was a bit of an overwhelming wake up." Arthur said, Alfred yawning again and letting his head rest against his former caretaker's shoulder. "Hey, now, you should probably stay awake. We've been watching you sleep now for nearly a full day." Arthur said, shaking the other man gently.

"What?! A full day?" Alfred said, lifting his head up to look to Kiku for confirmation. When the Asian nation gave a nod in response, Alfred groaned. "That's not sleeping, that a mini-coma!" Alfred said, the usual enthusiasm with which he spoke dampened by still being groggy. Arthur rolled his eyes at the very Alfred-like response, but snapped back to attention with the next thing Alfred said. "Man, it's no wonder the reaper said I wasn't supposed to wake up. Geez, what's everybody at the conference gonna think about…." He was saying, but Kiku interrupted before Arthur could.

"What do you mean about the reaper?" Kiku asked as he made room for Matthew, Feliciano and Francis as they re-entered the room.

"Oh, America! We are so glad to see you awake!" Feliciano said as he bounded inside, Matthew being guided by Francis. Alfred chuckled at the image, knowing that his brother only needed his glasses at certain times in the day based on the time of year, and it appeared that Arthur had borrowed them at the most unfortunate time for his brother.

"America-san…" Kiku prodded, only barely gaining the American's attention. "Huh? Oh, we're cool Kiku, I get why you blabbed. You don't need to be so worried and talk all formal and stuff. You can still call me Alfred." Alfred said, giggling at Matthew as he held his hand out in front of him, mumbling his displeasure at Arthur's antics in the soft-spoken manner only he could produce.

"Alfred, answer the man." Arthur said, readjusting his position on the bed to allow Francis to pull a chair up for himself and Matthew, Feliciano already having taken a seat beside the window.

"Oh, right." Alfred said, turning back to look at Kiku. "Dude said the IV line was messed up and I wasn't supposed to have woken up, so that's why he showed up. Said I shouldn't fall back asleep for a while or he'll be visiting me again for a…" Alfred was saying, but was cut off by a worried exclamation from Matthew.

"W-w-what?! What's that supposed to mean?" Matthew asked as he leaned forward in his seat. But Feliciano felt the need to contribute, waving his hand around in the air as if back in the meeting room and trying to get Ludwig's attention.

"I know, I know. America's not supposed to fall asleep or we get to see the reaper." He said with his usual smile before realizing what he'd said. "Ahh! I don't want to see it. Keep it away, keep it away!" He said, beginning to panic, reaching for his white flag.

"Relax, Feli, it ain't coming back and Artie's the only one with the special glasses." Alfred said, not eager to have the Italian nation glomp onto him as he usually did when scared, since he didn't have Ludwig to do that to. "You should probably give them back at some point, you know." He said, Arthur rolling his eyes.

"Eventually. But in the meantime we better make sure you don't fall asleep anytime soon. It is almost lunchtime after all." Arthur said, biting his cheek to refrain from commenting about the ridiculous nickname Alfred had called him.

"Alright, why don't we get you something to drink Alfred? We can start with that." Francis said, picking up the pitcher that the reaper had nearly knocked over.

"I've already had some water to drink." Alfred said, Arthur looking around until he spotted the opened bottle of vodka.

"This is not appropriate for convalescing Alfred. What made you think this was a good idea?" Arthur asked, grabbing the bottle. "It's a good thing you're lying down already. How did you manage to drink all that? Mistake it for a bottle of water?" Arthur asked, frustrated yet amused at the idea of Alfred's first action upon waking was to down a third of a bottle of vodka.

"Hey! I didn't have it. It….evaporated. You know, aren't you supposed to let alcohol breathe or somethin' like that?" Alfred tried, not willing to go over every detail of his drinking buddy's conversation.

"Oh hon, hon, hon…you let _wine_ breathe, mon ami, not vodka." Francis said, enjoying the way Alfred worked to defend himself.

"Wine goes best with pasta. Ve~, when you get out, we can have a lovely meal. Ci?" Feliciano suggested, Alfred's attention shifting over to the Italian. "Oh, and look at-a what I found! I've been-a reading to you all morning." He said, Alfred looking at the book the other man was holding out to him. Alfred smiled and reached out to grab it, before seeing the way his hands were shaking from being dehydrated. Based on the way Feliciano had tilted his head, he realized that the others had noticed it too, Arthur grabbing his outstretched hand in his own.

"Why don't you keep reading for him Feliciano?" Arthur suggested, Alfred sighing but relaxing into Arthur's hold. The Italian did as suggested for a little while until it was time for lunch.

"You guys can go get something other than cafeteria food. I'll be in the same spot as when ya' left." Alfred said, urging the others to take a break, even if he really didn't want to be alone.

"I'll stay with you, eh?" Matthew suggested, Alfred shooting him a grateful smile as his brother took his hand. "If Arthur ever gives me back my glasses." He said with a small chuckle, Alfred laughing too.

"We can both stay with you if one of the others would be so kind as to possibly bring us all back something to eat." Arthur said, the food the hospital had brought for Alfred not substantial enough for the American's appetite.

"Well then, it is a good thing you 'appen to know a culinary expert. I will grab something for you three and make sure these two head back without interruptions from someone like, say, Ivan." Francis said, gesturing for Feliciano and Kiku to come with him. "I will be back as soon as I can." He said after the others had wished Alfred the best. "Is there anything in particular you two might want?" He asked from the doorway.

"Scones wouldn't be remiss if you can manage it." Arthur said, Francis rolling his eyes at the reply. "I should 'ave known. I know what you like Mathieu. Alfred? I don't think the nurses would appreciate if I brought your usual giant 'amburger and milkshake, although I could probably convince them…"Francis was saying, his face morphing into his typical look as he thought up some questionable thoughts.

"Scones work." Alfred mumbled, eyes drooping in his tired state. "Just no burnt ones." He said, Francis standing in the doorway in surprise at the disregard for food. "Maybe some ice cream later?" He asked, Francis chuckling at the more Alfred-like remark.

"Oui. I'll see what I can manage." Francis said with a wave as he left the room. The three sat in silence for a while, broken only by the occasional remark tossed between Arthur and Matthew. After a few minutes, Arthur took off Matthew's glasses and handed them to the other nation. At the questioning look from Matthew as the other put his glasses back on hesitantly, Arthur gently moved from his seat on the bed where he'd been letting Alfred lean up against him. Alfred involuntarily let out a whine at the loss of someone comfortingly cuddling with him, immediately blushing at what he'd done.

"Sorry lad, but I'll be right back." Arthur said to Alfred before turning back to Matthew. "I need to use the toilet. Someone should keep a lookout and they _are_ your glasses." He said, Matthew nodding at the unspoken request from Arthur to look after his brother. Matthew got up and took Arthur's position, inwardly grateful that the other man had needed to get up so that he could hug Alfred the way he'd been craving since the panic at seeing how distressed his brother's night terror had caused him to be.

"Thanks for sittin' with me Mattie." Alfred said, snuggling up to his brother's side with less wariness than he had with Arthur. "I'm really glad to see you. I had such a horrible dream." Alfred said, reaching with his arm to latch onto his brother as he shook to keep in the sobs.

"You want to talk about it?" Matthew asked, incredibly curious to know what Alfred had been thinking about. Alfred shook his head in answer, burying his face into his brother's chest, taking deep breaths. Matthew knew that Alfred could be stubborn, but he almost always couldn't keep quiet about things for too long and Matthew relied on his own patience to wait for his brother to open up.

"I was back during the big crash in 1929 and then in 1863 during the Civil War…and then I was in Vietnam again, only I was actually out west in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s….and then…and then…I was burnin' again Mattie." Alfred said, Matthew holding tighter to his brother in his own thoughts about those events. While very American, these events impacted him as well, remembering the Canadian prairies being tossed about too and his own economy being impacted by Alfred's as he watched his brother collapse to his knees as though he'd taken a hit to the stomach.

"There was so much smoke and I heard shouts, and I thought for a moment I'd gotten back to New York City on _that_ day…but then I saw Arthur." Alfred continued, not looking at his brother as he spoke. "He…he said some nasty things. Things I know he always meant to say but never did for some reason…" He said, breaking off with a thick laugh. "Hey, at least he didn't call me fat this time." He said, Matthew running a hand through his brother's hair.

"He doesn't call you fat. Nobody does Alfred." Matthew said, trying to be comforting to his brother as he briefly glanced back over to the doorway in the hopes that Arthur might show up and back up his statement. "So no more of those diet pills. You get plenty of exercise, I know you do. Those diet pills are part of what put you in here." He continued, but Alfred didn't seem to be listening.

"You were there too." Alfred said in a quieter voice that had Matthew holding his brother a little tighter. "I know as America, I've been a little bit of a brute to you in our history, but I'm not so bad as Alfred your brother, right? You don't hate me, do you?" Alfred asked, looking up finally to Matthew with tears at the corners of his eyes.

"Nah, you can be a hozer, but I still love you bro." Matthew said with a smile. "Besides, we haven't fought each other in a long time and you're not so bad. Even if Cuba keeps coming after me because he thinks I'm you – but hey, your boss recently just tried to open things up with Cuba, right? Maybe he won't be so hard on me…" Matthew said with a forced chuckle. "Why would you think that Alfred? Where's that confidence that is America?" he asked, Alfred shifting a little on the bed.

"I'm always confident…but it never hurts to ask. Except when you're brutally honest with me, but that's just how you are." Alfred said, flashing his brother as big a smile as he could in his physical and emotional exhaustion. "Especially since….never mind…" Alfred said, but he'd caught Matthew's curiosity.

"What? What did I do in your dream?" He asked, Alfred sighing as he thought over whether or not to tell his brother. But since he'd told him as much he did already, he took a deep breath to continue.

"Well…Arthur was saying how much I'd ruined any chance at any semblance of family. He was saying I'd always be alone and stuff like that and how everybody would only ever have anger towards me, including you. He said you'd never really think of me as your brother…and then you were suddenly there and strangling me. I couldn't breathe…" Alfred said, hugging his brother.

Matthew felt terrible, connecting what Alfred was telling him about his dream with the way he'd been acting it out. To know his brother had been struggling with some version of himself to the point of not being able to breathe properly was a thought that had him tightening his grip to the point of his knuckles turning white. "I'm sorry Alfred. I wouldn't ever want to do something like that. Not for real." He said, Alfred hugging him back tightly as the two of them sat quietly for a few moments. "But what about Arthur? You woke up screaming for Arthur not to fire…"

Alfred looked down, reluctant to admit how afraid of the other nation he'd been at the time, both during the dream and while they'd actually been fighting. He'd been so new to the concept of being his own nation, later calling it his 'Second War of Independence', he'd struggled with the thoughts of what might happen should the worst happen and he succumb to Arthur. One of his bosses had thought it a great idea to reduce the navy to next to nothing and the army wasn't exactly up to Prussia's standards after the albino man had left Alfred to his own devices after his revolution. Everything that had been said in the dream had been in nightmares he'd had at the time as he'd worried about possible futures, although he'd always worked to be optimistic for his sake and that of keeping up the optimism of his people. "Matthew…Arthur…he wanted to end me. Not just reclaim me as his brother under his holdings or household or whatever. If he'd won- and actually won, not that stalemate we agreed to- he was going to shoot me like he regretted not doing in my revolution. He wanted _Alfred_ gone so that there wouldn't be any personification for the land for a long time; enough for him to do whatever he'd wanted." Alfred said, speaking with such certainty in his voice that had Matthew worried.

"No. I doubt that Alfred." Matthew said, feeling Alfred relaxing a little in his hold. "Arthur…well, Arthur's _Arthur_. He gets into arguments with Francis every five minutes and he's always mentioning his difficulties with his brothers closer to his home, but he's not going to be rash about those fights. And he's…fond of you as Alfred. And America and the UK are good partners right now." Matthew said, resting his head on top of Alfred's as he spoke. "Whatever worries you're still thinking about, whether about those early wars or the way Britain handled being 'neutral' in your Civil War…you know he's attached to you. He would hate to have you just disappear, even if he likes to try and hit you with a curse now and then or a good scare on Halloween. Don't tell him I told you, but I'm sure he still thinks of you as like family. And you'll always have me." He finished his speech, amazed he'd gotten through it without Alfred interrupting. Looking back up to the doorway his breath caught at the sight of a reaper drifting closer than he would have wanted. He shook at the sight, his brother's tendency to get scared all the more reasonable now. He looked down, gasping to find his brother had fallen asleep against him while he'd talked.


	13. Chapter 13

Arthur walked down the hallway on the way back to Alfred's room when he met Francis as the other man came out of the elevator with bags in his hands. Spotting the other blond nation, Francis arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"I thought nothing would detach you from Alfred's side." Francis said as he handed one of the bags to Arthur, the other rolling his eyes but thanking the other nation. "You know you called him your brother to Kiku, don't you?" Francis said, chuckling at the blush that spread across the other man's face as he sputtered a denial.

"That's….ugh….I was not attached to Alfred's side. Merely helping him get situated with all that's been going on." Arthur said, avoiding the topic altogether. "And I cannot be everywhere at once Francis." He said as they walked back slowly.

"Not that you didn't try." Francis said with a smirk. "I do believe you were the one to come up with the phrase 'the sun never sets on the British Empire'…" Francis said, Arthur scoffing at the mention of his former status.

"Anyway, we should be getting back to the boys. In case you didn't notice, I gave Matthew his glasses back and I dread to think what might happen should he actually see anything." Arthur said, Francis nodding in agreement. "Did those two head back to the conference alright?" He asked, receiving another nod from the Frenchman.

"Oui. And I did my best to urge Feliciano to not go around telling everything that happened, although, who knows 'ow well he listened." Francis said with a bit of a sigh at how spacey the Italian man could be at times. Arthur sighed as well, knowing that if Ivan hadn't gleefully told the others about Alfred's state, then Feliciano would be more than happy to share with the others. "Still, he and Alfred can be very much like children at times. But I suppose, you don't seem to mind that Alfred prefers to remain like a child around you while at the same time trying to take charge. You seem to enjoy yourself with him when he's clinging to you like he did when he was little." Francis said, Arthur trying to work up something to say in response but finding that Francis was once again hitting close to the mark with his and Alfred's relationship.

"Like you enjoy playing 'Big Brother France' to Feliciano or Matthew, hmm?" Arthur asked in a tone attempting to sound mocking, but Francis laughed anyway as they entered Alfred's room. However, their much lighter banter than the shouting match they'd had earlier stopped at the sight of a shaking Matthew as he possessively held onto Alfred. The two of them bolted toward him, Francis calling out to Matthew in French when it seemed Arthur wasn't getting through to him. Following Matthew's gaze toward a spot on the wall, Arthur realized that he was seeing something and quickly snatched the glasses off the other's face to put them on. Turning to where Matthew had been gazing, he found himself facing a reaper that looked as though trying to get at something the three of them were now blocking.

"Matthew, don't let him go. Keep covering him like you're doing." Arthur said slowly, grabbing Francis hand to guide him over to stand behind him so that the three of them were on the same side of the bed as though to create a barrier of sorts. "I don't think he's able to get to him if there are other nations in the way." Arthur said, watching as the reaper seemed unable to glide properly, almost as though drunk or hungover. "Did Alfred fall asleep? "Arthur asked, receiving a whimper from Matthew. "Is Alfred asleep again? Matthew!" Arthur said, voice rising a little to snap the Canadian back to reality. But Francis answered for him.

"Oui. He's out." Francis said as he briefly glanced away from the directions the others were looking, shivering himself at the creepy atmosphere in the room even though he couldn't see what Matthew and Arthur had seen. Although, he wasn't certain if being able to see it would have made any difference or terrified him more. "I am trying to get him up." Francis said again, forcing his gaze to rest only on Alfred. He touched Matthew's shoulder, startling the other into looking at him. "Désolé Mathieu , aide-moi réveille votre frère." He said, prompting Matthew to look down and nod as he shook his brother with Francis. Alfred seemed to twitch a little, his hands clenching.

"Anytime now…" Arthur said, involuntarily taking a step back and bumping into Francis, the other nation figuring that the reaper was closer than it had been before. Arthur swiped at the air in front of him, but Francis didn't seem to see anything happen. His attention on Arthur, he whipped his head back around at the sound of a clear warning sound from the monitor to see Matthew looking panicked. The North American twin shook his brother a few more times while Arthur let out a shout and launched himself over the side of Alfred's bed at something, plopping on top of Alfred's legs. The bed shook from the impact and Alfred's eyes flew open, the monitor stopping its blaring and going back to normal. Arthur looked up and around while Matthew hugged his brother, Francis giving a heavy sigh as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Ugh…Iggy…what's going on? What're ya' doin'?" Alfred asked in confusion, trying to get his hand free from where it'd gotten stuck between him and Matthew. He'd been in the middle of another crazy dream and he knew he'd been clenching his hands tightly, worried he'd broken another piece of equipment. But he saw that while mangled, the clip he had on his finger looked to be back in place.

"I'm saving you, you twit!" Arthur said as he crawled off the bed, removing the glasses to hand back to Matthew. "A thank you would be nice." He said, straightening himself out in an effort to keep himself composed.

"Thank you?" Alfred said, still highly confused at what was going on. "Uh oh…I fell asleep, didn't I? Right in the middle of you talkin' to me, huh Mattie?" Alfred said, turning to his clingy brother. "Sorry bro. It's all good now. Can you, uh…stop squeezing so tight?" He asked, Matthew shaking his head and continuing to hold onto him.

"Une surprise après l'autre , si dramatique . Il est définitivement votre frère en Angleterre ..." [One surprise after another, so dramatic. He is definitely your brother England] Francis said, picking up the bags he'd dropped into one of the chairs to place on the table. "Vous êtes presque terne Amérique, mais nous pouvons au moins déjeuner avant une autre peur ?" [You are hardly dull America, but may we at least eat lunch before another scare?] He said as he sat down heavily into his chair, Alfred trying to translate what he was saying based on what French he knew from either Louisiana or Maine. But Matthew beat him to it, laughing at Francis apparently reaching the limit for Alfred's drama that day and requesting to focus on food.

"Let's eat." Matthew said, prying himself off of Alfred to sit in another chair while taking the bag Francis offered to him. Arthur looked into the remaining bags, handing one to Alfred, who smiled as he took it and yawned again.

"Sorry guys. I really didn't mean to do that to ya'." He said, pumping his fist triumphantly at the individual-sized half-pint of French vanilla ice cream – not his favorite but better than jello he supposed. "Thanks Francis. This is perfect." He said, happily diving into the container. The Frenchman laughed at the childish response, responding with a jovial "bien sûr" as he and the others began to eat their lunches.

"But seriously guys, what had you all so worked up? What'd I miss?" Alfred said around mouthfuls of the frozen treat, his face scrunching up as he ate it too fast and experienced some brain freeze from it, his brother laughing at the recognizable look on his brother's face.

"A bloody lot!" Arthur said as he sat in the chair beside the window. Alfred winced at the tone in the other man's voice.

"Hey! Not my fault." Alfred said in his defense, "'Sides, I tried to stay awake. I'm just exhausted. It's no fun when you haven't at least done something worthwhile to feel like this." He said, shoving another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"You don't have to tell me how unpleasant illness is Alfred, I did have to deal with the Plague you know." Arthur said, taking a swig of his water that Francis had provided. The French personification rolled his eyes and huffed. "You have something to add, frog?" Arthur asked, looking over to Francis.

"You make it sound like nobody else 'ad to experience that atrocious nightmare. I went through it too, mon ami." Francis said, the two looking as though ready to launch into another squabble. Matthew tugged on Francis' sleeve to get his attention, the tension in the other man's body leaving as he looked over to the Canadian's pleading face.

"Well, still….Alfred can't compare. He never had to deal with something like that." Arthur said, leaning back in his seat.

"Yes I have!" Alfred said, finishing up his ice cream to the amazement of the others, not sure if they should be worried about the meal making a comeback with how quickly the American personification had scarfed it down. "It may not have been ' _The Black Death_ ' but there were plenty of other nasty things that ran through my home – Mattie probably shared a few of them." Alfred said, gesturing to his brother. "And dude, cholera epidemics are ugly. Caught that one not that long before I got scarlet fever…thought I was gonna die and I had nobody around at the time." He said with a shiver, aiming to toss his ice cream container in the bin. He shot it, making a disappointed noise when it hit the side of the trash bin and fell to the floor.

"You caught scarlet fever when you were still a child. You weren't alone through that." Arthur said, confusion on his face at why Alfred would remember it differently.

"No, it was just after the Civil War…oh, right…that was yellow fever that was going around then. Isn't that supposed to be the same?" Alfred asked, but didn't seem to really bother with an answer. "Either way, it was a fever with some color label and it knocked me on my back for a while after I was still recovering from puttin' myself back together again. I was gonna' try mailing a letter to you Mattie, but I couldn't even sit up." Alfred said, looking to his brother. "Figured _you'd_ have commented about the Black Death again and sat back to watch me…." He started to say to Arthur, but the other man looked as though he wanted to strangle the bedridden man.

"I would have come, Alfred. I wouldn't have let you just…I didn't let you get taken by that reaper now, did I?" Arthur asked, his voice much softer than anyone had expected.

"No…But that was a different world then. Pretty sure you would've done squat at that point." Alfred said with a disbelieving look at the other man's claim to have been ready to assist him if he'd just asked. "But I handled it good."

"You handled it _well_ , Alfred." Arthur said, Alfred shooting him another confused look.

"I know, I just said that." Alfred said, Francis and Matthew snickering at the usual level of success Arthur had with trying to help his former colony to 'speak properly'. "But like I was sayin', I was able to make do with what I had. I probably could've avoided catchin' in in the first place if I'd listened to your advice and stayed put when I wasn't feelin' a hundred percent yet, but I'm not you – I've always had to take a hands-on approach with my citizens. Oh well…" Alfred said with a shrug, grabbing for the water pitcher. "Hey, Francis, can you hand me that cup? I can't quite reach it." He said, not willing to use the styrofoam cup that had been used by the reaper.

Francis passed it to Alfred who made to pour himself a cup, but Matthew grabbed the pitcher from him before he could do anything. "Your hands are still shaking, Al, you're going to spill water everywhere." Matthew said at the frustrated look his brother leveled at him for taking over for him. "Stop frowning. I know you like to be pampered when you're sick anyway." The Canadian said with a smirk, Alfred crossing his arms as best he could with the IV still attached.

"I'm not sick. Just tired." Alfred denied. "Not the same thing 'cuz I don't get random _colds_ like this like _Arthur_. I can take care of myself." He said, but he let Matthew help him, taking the cup from his brother and sipping the water. "By the way, did you curse me again Iggy?" Alfred said randomly, taking the other nation by surprise as he tried to fathom how Alfred would have known of his attempt. He looked to Francis and Matthew for any guilty look that would've signaled who'd told the American, but they looked just as surprised as the British personification.

"What makes you think that Alfred?" Arthur stuttered out, laughing nervously as he tried to appear innocent to the other.

"I dunno. Just really bad dreams and they all seem to have you in them." Alfred said, not making eye contact with Arthur. "I asked the nurses if they'd given me anything that might cause that, but they said it was probably just something on my mind. Thought I might as well ask you if it was anything you did – easier to blame you than myself." Alfred said, the other nation's emotion's bouncing from guilt at being the center of Alfred's nightmares even though he'd tried to do that to the other man several times, to irritation at Alfred wanting to blame him for his problems.

"S-stop trying pass blame off onto me, git." Arthur said, Alfred looking at the other in confusion as he thought it looked like Arthur was overreacting like usual. "I'm not the cause of all your bloody problems!" He shouted out, Alfred leaning back.

"Dude, I was just tryin' to figure it out to get the nightmares to go away! Chill out!" Alfred said, turning to look at Francis. "You sure he didn't have any of that vodka himself? He only gets this bad with me when he's hammered." Alfred said, Arthur looking ready to deny his supposed inability to hold his liquor as Francis burst out laughing.

"Non, he is just being himself. An imbecile…" Francis said as he laughed, Arthur sputtering out insults to the Frenchman. As the two European nations bickered, Alfred leaned back in the bed with a sigh. He turned to look at his twin when he felt a hand grasp his, seeing the unspoken question in the other's eyes.

"Hey Matt…" He said, fighting off another yawn. "I'm okay…but…" Alfred started, wanting nothing more than to take a nap even though he was irritated that all he'd been doing was sleeping. He was positive that he'd passed the point the reaper had warned him about to not fall back asleep at that point.

"Yeah Al?" Matthew said, furrowing his brows, waiting for the usual odd request that often came from his brother's mouth. He was not in the mood for a request for some obscure thing or to do any of some of the more dangerous things his brother found to be exciting. They'd tried something he'd rather not repeat at Niagara Falls and he'd be reminding his brother of the outcome of that particular excursion each time Alfred mentioned something ridiculous.

"Um…think you can, without setting off those two, go get a nurse for me?" Alfred asked, needing to know if he had to keep struggling to stay awake. He'd put in a lot of effort in confiding with his brother and then trying to keep things upbeat with Arthur, and he was feeling the downside of that.

"Why? What's wrong?" Matthew asked, eyes widening at the completely unexpected question. Although thinking about it, for most people in Alfred's situation, it would have been completely normal of a question. Matthew stood up and leaned forward onto the bed, Alfred sighing as Arthur caught onto the movement. "I just…I can't stay awake anymore." Alfred admitting as he leaned back further into the pillow to get comfortable.

"Non, that is pas bon." Francis said, Alfred finding himself with Arthur on the other side of him looking concerned again. "You mustn't fall asleep. You said so yourself." Francis said, coming to stand behind Matthew.

"Give me your glasses again Matthew." Arthur said, the younger nation not hesitating to hand them over, having seen enough ghosts for the day. "The charm may still be holding…" Arthur said, looking around the room through the glasses.

"No…it's not here. It was probably only here for a drink anyway." Alfred said, eyes drooping. Arthur shared a look with Francis, not following what the other was saying.

"Alfred, you're not making sense anymore." Arthur said, patting Alfred's hands to get him to look at him. But Alfred whined sleepily. "I just need you to ask a nurse if I can take a nap yet…" Alfred whined, his eyes closed. In a panic, Matthew reached out and tugged on Nantucket, knowing that would at least wake him up momentarily. Alfred's eyes widened dramatically and the others could see him bit his lip.

"M-Mattie…"Alfred stuttered out accusatorily, but his brother only looked slightly apologetic. He hadn't pulled too hard, but enough to get his brother's attention.

"No. No falling asleep, eh?" Matthew said. "We'll talk to the nurse for you, but don't sleep yet." The Canadian said, his brother glowering at him for having tugged on his hair. Matthew could tell that he'd probably have to watch himself for a little while in case Alfred decided to retaliate with a yank on his curl, but he was satisfied that his brother wasn't in any danger of passing out on them again. He laughed at the attempt to intimidate him that Alfred was putting up, but it seemed that things were looking up as his brother huffed in frustration. Matthew smiled at Alfred as his twin made no effort to get Arthur off the bed, cozying up against the other man unconsciously while Arthur absent-mindedly pet the other's hair.


	14. Chapter 14

As it turned out, Alfred was given the all-clear by the doctor the nurse had called in and said nation promptly pulled the covers up more to get comfortable. Within seconds of telling the others to head back to the conference and not wait up for him, Alfred was sound asleep again. Instead of leaving, Arthur insisted on staying for a little longer, scanning the room with Matthew's glasses a few times more for his own sense of security than having Matthew or Francis suggest it.

Heading back to the conference, the three of them were able to make it back in time to hear the end of the day recounting of the progress – or lack thereof – between the nations present. Arthur took stock of how things were going, taking the minutes recorded and submitted proposals to go over in his room. Ludwig had made the offer to just continue handling the paperwork like he had been, since he usually couldn't help his obsessive compulsive nature anyway. But Arthur had waved off his concern and taken the paperwork, confessing he'd need the work to help get him back on track.

The next day, Arthur was awoken by Francis at his door. He'd been ready to argue with the other man for waking him up earlier than necessary when he realized that the next round of meeting was scheduled to start within the next half hour. The two of them forced themselves to sit through the morning discussions, Matthew noticeably absent this time rather than when he typically was overlooked at the meetings. But the other two nations who'd been spending the past couple of days with him and Alfred figured that Canada would report back to them if anything happened that took a turn for the worse with the American personification. Arthur had been given Matthew's papers and had done his best to keep composed, but the day was catching up to him and he found himself not minding so much the usually irritating and annoying quirks of Francis. The Frenchman had suggested that they visit with Alfred and Matthew and bring the boys dinner, prodding Arthur to let Ludwig take charge like he'd offered for the remaining meetings. Only marginally reluctantly, Arthur approached the German personification with his instructions and he left with Francis.

Arriving at the hospital to a much more awake Alfred than the one they had left, the offered ice cream and soda went over as well as the previous day. Matthew informed them of the progress Alfred had made, his quick healing helping him to convince the doctors to let him leave in the next couple of days.

"So I'll be back to amaze you all with my awesomely cool plans and stuff in no time." Alfred said as he poured some soda into a styrofoam cup, lifting a spoonful of ice cream to plop into it. "I might even be able to go to the last meeting. And stay awake…." Alfred said, taking a drink and giving himself a foamy mustache that Matthew rolled his eyes at.

"Don't overdo it like usual Alfred." Matthew said, handing his brother a napkin. "You haven't managed to keep awake for the whole day yet. Not to mention the trip you took to the bathroom on your own was more of an event than it needed to be."

"Only 'cuz you're a worry-wuss. I was doin' 'just fine until you…" Alfred was saying but Matthew wasn't having any part of his brother's attempts to talk himself out of things. "Until I broke the door down to find you on the bathroom floor. Dizzy still?" Matthew asked, earning a pout from Alfred.

"Mon cher, take things one step at a time. Like your brozer says, don't overdo it and wind up right back where you started." Francis said, Alfred groaning and leaning back in the bed. The Frenchman laughed at the American's impatience to get back out and be active again, guessing that sitting in bed was incredibly difficult for the North American.

"Alfred, please…" Arthur said with an exasperated tone. "…For once, just listen to your brother. Unless you enjoy making him this agitated?" He said as he shook his head, Alfred looking a little sheepish as he considered what he said. "But you were difficult with illnesses as a child too and I found myself nearly having to sit on your legs once to make sure you rested. And this time, I will sh….." Arthur continued but Alfred's eyes went wide as he stared ahead.

"What's the matter Alfred?" Matthew said, reaching out for his brother, only to have Alfred flinch and pull away when the other's hand connected with his arm.

"N-nothing. I'm…I'm gonna take another nap." Alfred said , not looking at any of the other men in the room. "I…you should just go back to the hotel. I'll talk to you later. You…you don't need to come see me tomorrow." Alfred said, Matthew's face taking on expression of disbelief and confusion, reaching out again only to pull back himself when Alfred refused to look at him. He couldn't be sure of what had caused such a sudden mood swing, but thought that it might be best if they did as his brother asked, confident that the other would be asking for company soon enough.

"Alfred…" Arthur started, but seeing that the other had effectively dismissed them as he curled up in the bed again, he halted his speech and simply nodded. "Well, it is getting on in the evening. I suppose we should let you get some rest." He said, awkwardly patting the bed next to Alfred in lieu of actually being able to say a proper farewell. He stood there for another moment, Alfred choosing to keep his eyes shut as he ignored the other nations as best he could. Francis' hand on his shoulder, softly speaking with him to leave, was the only thing that broke his concentration on the American personification.

The ride back with Francis was more subdued than Arthur would have expected. "What did I say Francis? Did I miss something again? I…I just don't know why he'd do that – I mean, he's often decided to pretend to ignore me when he was being difficult, no matter how childish that can be – but all I was saying was that this time I will show him the proper way to relax so he might learn a thing or two to stay healthy." Arthur ranted, Francis trying to get a word in edgewise but the English personification had kept speaking over the Frenchman.

"Mon lapin, do you want me to answer or are you planning on just, talking to yourself some more? Or are there fairies in the backseat you're addressing?" Francis said, receiving a sigh from the other blonde.

"Francis, I'm being serious. Now is not the time for you to mock the fay – they're bound to get angry enough with you one day to take it out on you, or your hair…" Arthur said, feeling slightly better at being able to insult the other nation.

"If something should 'appen to my 'air, I will know who to blame first. You are just jealous…" Francis said with a snicker. "But you worry too much about your dear Alfred. He said he was 'aving nightmares and that they 'ad something to do with you, no? Maybe something triggered an old memory or something from the nightmare…I don't know, mon ami." He said with a shrug, sighing as he looked out the window to see that it was thundering and lightening out. "Alfred is going to be 'aving more nightmares with this storm too. Mattieu says he's still a little jumpy when there's a storm like this." Francis said, Arthur moaning in realization that the Frenchman was right.

"I could call him later I suppose." Arthur said, more to himself than Francis. But the other man heard the mumbled idea and shook his head. "No, let him call you. He will, Arthur. Or Mattieu when he's over this awkwardness. Just wait." Francis said as they pulled up into the hotel parking lot, Matthew arriving shortly after them and meeting them in the lobby.

"Matthew, you don't know what he was so worried about, do you?" Arthur asked as the three of them shook out their wet clothes as best they could before trudging back to their room. The Canadian's expression fell further than it had before, giving a slight nod. "Go on then…" Arthur said, becoming irritated with information being withheld from him again.

"Arthur, not in the 'allway…" Francis said, Arthur being drawn back into awareness of their surroundings, spying Spain talking with Prussia, who had his arm around Hungary while Austria was smacking the albino man on the arm to get him to release Hungary. Although the group looked plenty occupied with their own issues, Prussia did have a way of unfortunately hearing everything and then sharing it with at least his brother and therefore, Feliciano or Romano would also hear of it and then the news would never be private again.

Climbing the stairs, they reached Francis' room first and entered, Arthur about to start in on Matthew again when he quickly covered his and Matthew's eyes. As soon as the door was shut, Francis had immediately begun disrobing and flinging his wet clothes out to dry. " My God!" Arthur said, his face a bright red at the actions of the other. But Matthew, although blushing a little as well, didn't seem to be as taken aback as the British man.

"Non, you may just call me France…I am angelic though, am I not?" Francis said as he laughed at the other man. "You are such a prude sometimes Arthur. 'onestly, you are in my room at the moment, why should I not make myself comfortable?" Francis said, Arthur meanwhile grumbling for the other to hurry up and put some clothes on before he scarred Matthew any further.

"I'm used to it Arthur." Matthew said, but his comment didn't seem to have been heard. But Francis pronounced that it was safe for them to 'gaze upon his magnificent self again' and Arthur dropped his hand from Matthew's face.

"You're a bloody wanker, you perverted frog!" Arthur said as he took a seat, Francis laughing at the other man's predictable outburst. "In front of nation less than a full two centuries old…" He mumbled.

"Not really, eh? I'm not that young – I was just your guys' colony before…" Matthew defended himself, Arthur and Francis reminded of how much he and Alfred could be similar as the North American practically pouted at being called a child.

"Yes, yes…sorry about that Matthew. Do tell us what you were going to say out in the hall before this twat here decided to try and blind us." Arthur said, Francis huffing at the insult to himself.

"Well…" Matthew began, scooting away from the offered seat on the bed beside Francis. He may have gotten used to Francis' ways as a younger personification, but that didn't mean he didn't have any sense of boundaries when it came to the other personification's reach. Choosing instead to remain standing, he paced as he spoke. "Al wore himself down yesterday when he was talking about that night terror he'd had…I was too busy trying to talk with him to notice he'd fallen back asleep until I saw that g-ghost thing again…." Matthew said with a shiver, readjusting his glasses in his anxiousness. "He was going through some of his memories without any real connection I guess. He was scared though, saying there was smoke of some sort in almost every memory until he got to the last one we woke him out of…" He said, stopping his movements to look at Arthur. The British man seemed to pick up on what the other man was getting at, but didn't interrupt. "He said…he said I tried to strangle him and then…you told him how he'd be alone forever, no friends or family, and then….Alfred wouldn't tell me all the details, but I'm guessing you must've decided to shoot him in the dream." Matthew said, plopping onto the bed next to Francis anyway in the hope that the other nation wouldn't try anything at a time like this.

"That explains the way he looked at me when he woke up…." Arthur said, arms crossed over his chest as he thought about what Matthew had said. "I couldn't do it though. You know that, Francis knows that, and Alfred certainly knows that…I may have tried to get him into Busby's chair, but….oh, this is ridiculous!" Arthur said, springing to his feet. "You're telling me _I'm_ his _boogeyman_? Hah. I tried to be for a while after he broke away from me but he's too cocky to have that be possible." Arthur said, beginning to pace like Matthew had, Francis seeing where his former colony had picked up that trait.

"If you keep wagging those caterpillars on your face like that, you might succeed in doing just that. Who would have thought – the mighty British Empire could've simply just furrowed that monstrosity on his face and everyone might have cowered before him." Francis said mockingly. He was unprepared for the other man to lunge at him and knock him off the other side of the bed, Matthew crying out in surprise.

"I have had enough of those remarks for today, you bloody fool!" He said, shouting out several other things in his frustration as Francis fought back with his own sneak attacks to the other personification, getting in a hit to Arthur's stomach that had the other man doubling over. Francis tried to then swing again, but Arthur saw it coming and used the momentum to swing the other European around to the wall.

"Stop it you two!" Matthew shouted, yanking on the two men's arms to try and pry them apart. "You hozers! Listen to me for once! This isn't helping anybody for you two to continue with your….oomfph…" Matthew was saying, his comments cut off as one of Arthur's swings to Francis missed and hit him in the face. He grasped his nose as the pain spread, stumbling back a few steps. Pulling his hand away, he saw that Arthur had gotten in a good enough hit to cause it to bleed, but he could feel it wasn't broken. Still, it hurt enough for him to moan again and clutch his face.

"Oh, Matthew…." Arthur said, letting go of Francis to come over beside his former colony, placing a hand on his back. "I am so, so very sorry poppet. I didn't mean to hit you. Let me see." Arthur said, trying to gently coax the other into moving his hands away from his face. Matthew did as he asked, Arthur and Francis wincing at the bruise already forming and the blood running down across his lips. "I'm sorry, love. I really am…" Arthur said, but Matthew pulled away.

"I know Arthur. You always are _after_ , but not during…" Matthew said, heading for the door with a confidence he tried to keep up as he'd seen his brother do. "I'm…I'm f-fine. I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he yanked the door open, leaving Arthur staring after him with a desperate look on his face.

"Merde…" Francis said, running a hand through his hair. "You've done well with them today, haven't you?" He said, straightening out his clothes while Arthur hung his head. "What? No apology for me?" He said with a lighter tone, not actually expecting to ever receive one.

"Not on your life frog…" Arthur said with a similarly softer tone, a slight uplift to his mouth at having Francis there, even if he often couldn't stand being too close to the other. He knew that both he and Francis would be hit hard if either of them had something happen to the other, despite their differences. Not that Arthur would've resorted to ever taking Francis up on that marriage proposal that still haunted his nightmares from time to time.

"Mon lapin, as much as I'm all for sharing the comfort of another's presence, perhaps we should all just take the night to sort things out alone, hmm?" Francis said, Arthur nodding in agreement with the other man.

"Ugh…when did you get some wisdom in that perfumed brain of yours?" Arthur said with a laugh as he headed for the door.

"Oh, did it hurt for you to compliment me? Such pain could be a pleasure for you if you tried it more often…" Francis said with a smirk, Arthur rolling his eyes as he left. He debated on giving in and going after Matthew, but opted to give the other some space. He made his way to his own room, unaware of the eyes that followed his movements as Spain walked after him.

"Hola! Britain!" Antonio's called out, his voice halting the other's steps. "It seems like you could use a late night excursion to help that sour mood of yours." The other said with a sympathetic smile.

"Ah, I appreciate the offer, Spain, but I'll have to decline." Arthur said, not up for dealing with another nation he'd been at odds with for a large portion of their history. "I've had a…trying day and would really like to get some rest if you don't mind." He said, attempting to take his leave. The other nation nodded, the British personification sighing in gratitude.

"Another time them amigo…" Antionio said. "But from one man to another, I'd be more careful with Prussia lingering around." He said, Arthur's eyes widening. Antonio rushed to continue. "I do not mean to imply he overheard anything tonight, just that…well…he's been trying to befriend Canada since Canada offered to watch his bird for him when he'd been in one of his lows and even invited him over to his house." Antonio said, Arthur thinking that such a polite gesture had every bit of his former colony's touch to it, even if he didn't know the other nation very well. "Gilbert may never admit that he feels nostalgic at times, but when people cater to his 'awesomeness' without him having to get them drunk first, he's always pleasant rather than obnoxious." Antonio shrugged as he spoke, walking beside Arthur. "Anyway, he might make things more difficult if he sees the bloody nose Canada had. I just thought a friendly warning might be in order."

Arthur sighed in frustration, very much not needing a nosey Russian _and_ an irate and intrusive Prussian following after him while he dealt with an ill and difficult American. "Thank you Spain. I appreciate the warning." Arthur said as they approached his room.

"Si. I thought Gilbert would be one too many things for you at the moment." Antonio said, Arthur nodding his head emphatically at the idea. "If it is any consolation, Romano often claims to hate me…but even if we cannot be like family like you and Alfred were, he does still come to me on his own. At the very least, as _Romano_ and _Antonio_ , we are good friends. Alfred seems to be doing the same for you. And I'm sure the same goes for Canada – sorry, but I do not remember his human name." Spain said, Arthur unsure how to respond to the apparent realization of the other nations' awareness of the tensions between him and Alfred.

"Thank you Spain, I'll think about your advice." Arthur said, settling on the diplomatic approach. Spain sighed at the lack of an emotional response that he was hoping for, but the other nation didn't seem to really expect much more from the other personification. With that, the dark-haired nation said goodnight, leaving Arthur to actually think about what he said. Aside from keeping up a lookout for Prussia like he normally had to do, wondering why he followed his brother to these conferences when he was no longer technically a nation, Arthur contemplated the efforts of both North Americans in up-keeping their relationship with him in their own peculiar ways. With a heavy sigh as he got ready for bed, his mind wandered over how to go about trying to make peace with both of his former colonies.


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning was stressful for Arthur as he met up with Francis in the dining hall for breakfast, the two looking around for Matthew to show up. Francis had been consoling his longtime friend and enemy that Matthew would be back to talking with him again in no time when the subject of their conversation walked into the room. He'd had his head down and was carrying his bear again, making it difficult to see his face completely with the long hair falling into his face. But the white bandages on his nose were prominent enough to have Arthur's stomach twisting in guilt at the accidental hit to what had been one of his most faithful colonies – Canada did technically still share Britain's monarchy too.

Matthew filled up his plate at the buffet line, a towering mass that even Alfred might approve of before he walked over to sit beside Francis. Placing the plate on the table, he sat his bear next to him and piled a few things from his plate onto a napkin that he placed in front of the eagerly awaiting polar bear.

"Good morning…" Matthew mumbled, his voice sounding a bit nasally. "Kuma needed to get out and the meals the employees here have been giving him just aren't what he's accustomed to." Matthew said as his bear helped itself to a large mound of breakfast sweets offered by his owner.

"How are you this morning, love?" Arthur asked, concern in his voice. Matthew simply shrugged in response before picking up his fork and digging into his own breakfast. "I…er…don't suppose you got a call from Alfred at any point last evening or this morning?" He continued, having already asked Francis the same question. As he'd expected, Matthew shook his head in the negative, still not looking directly at Arthur.

"Well, mes amis…" Francis said, desperate to break the melancholy. "I'm sure he'll be calling later. Mon dieu, if I wanted such bleak breakfast companions, I'd have sat with the Baltic nations with Ivan hanging over them." The French personification said, motioning for the others to look over to where Ivan had sat himself at the trio's table. The three of them looked to barely be able to keep eating their breakfast with the smiling Russian man beside them, Ivan cheerily munching away with an occasional comment to the others.

"I guess we should just head over at lunchtime. He'll want us to bring him something other than hospital food." Matthew said, finally looking up at Arthur. "I forgive you Arthur. I know it was an accident." He said, seeing the other man's face take on a relieved expression at being forgiven.

"Thank you lad." Arthur said with a small smile, Matthew returning it with one of his own. The three finished up their breakfast, Kumajirou tagging along to the meeting room after everyone was done. Like the day before Arthur and Francis found themselves to be glancing at the clock more frequently than they should have, Arthur feeling particularly guilty since he was supposed to be around more as the host nation. But they could see Matthew having a difficult time too whenever they remembered that he was in the room with them. He'd been holding his bear like always, answering it whenever it would ask for his name, but they could see the bear was more of a security blanket than usual.

Arthur found his attention placed back on the actual discussion though at some of the more bolder comments that Russia was making. Spain had conveniently left out the change in atmosphere at the meetings with America's absence being noted and exploited by some nations. Clearing his throat, he had to voice his stance in opposition to a few of the comments. Francis and some of the other EU nations had also had to be more vocal, not all of them up to par at the sudden thrust to the floor that America usually took for them as the 'hero'. Arthur could tell that while there were some who liked speaking up more, they also appeared to have wished to have someone else other than Britain and France as their back up. This especially went for Ukraine as she twisted back and forth in her seat, looking from her newer friends to her beloved younger brother, Latvia wincing each time as it became more obvious that the more robust female was heading towards losing a button on her shirt again.

With relief, the second morning session ended as they all took a break for lunch. Arthur groaned as he leaned back in his seat, feeling as though the situation was rapidly spiraling out of his control. These conferences usually ended up being run by Germany anyway, and the personifications had come to just expect the uptight military man to naturally step in once America's attention had shifted to something else, particularly movies or games.

"Come now Britain. Don't let anyone other than your dear friend France see you drop those walls around you…unless of course, you wish to also drop those pants." Francis said, earning an undignified squeak from the Englishman as he felt the other nation's hand on his lower back.

"Keep those dirty hands off my person, you pervert." Arthur shouted as he shot out of his seat, Francis laughing at the red faced man in front of him. A few other lingering nations also snickered or rolled their eyes at the scene on their way out, China just shaking his head as he walked through the door with a mutter of 'Western nations…'. Arthur smacked Francis on the arm a couple of times before gathering his things and the two of them left the room.

"Guess they forgot about me again eh?" Matthew said in his seat, his bear held close to him. He could sense the predictable question at the tip of his bear's tongue and was about to answer when Francis looked back into the room.

"Oui…I knew we forgot something." He said, gesturing for Matthew to follow him. "Come along Mathieu, we are heading to visit your brother." He said, Matthew quickly walking over with Kuma still in his arms. He'd decided this morning that although Alfred and his bear sometimes were at odds, Alfred and himself would both benefit from the bear's presence. He wasn't so sure that the hospital would be thrilled with the idea, but he could always use that invisibility of his to get through, or make the claim of Kuma as a 'therapeutic animal'.

They'd made a quick stop to pick up some food and had gotten to the hospital, only to find that the room Alfred had been staying in was empty save for the cleaned bed. All of Alfred's things were gone and there wasn't any sign that the American had been there at all. "Don't panic Matthew. I'll go find someone to talk to and we'll have this all figured out in no time." Arthur said to the Canadian with a pat on his shoulder, handing his bag of food to the younger nation. Matthew mutely nodded, Arthur and Francis aware that the other man might fear the worst at the sight of an empty bed when his brother was still only barely awake yesterday. The three of them walked back out into the hall, Arthur jogging over to the nurse's station while Francis held Matthew off to the side.

"Hello miss. If I could just ask you a quick question…" Arthur said, getting one of the nurses' attention. Seeing that it was the nurse that they'd spoken with when they'd brought Alfred into the hospital, he felt a little relieved that she might be able to quickly provide them with answers. "Yes, hello again. The man we brought in, Alfred Jones…ah, America…" He said a little softer, the woman nodding in understanding at the desire to not broadcast that to everyone else.

"Yes sir, I recall." The woman said, putting down the clipboard she'd been filling something out on to direct her complete attention to her nation's personification.

"Well, we went to his room and he's not there." Arthur said bluntly, not sure how else to ask where Alfred had disappeared to overnight.

The woman turned to her computer to pull up information, taking a moment to type things in correctly to be able to have access to the records. "Oh, yes…he's been gone since around ten this morning." She said, Matthew bolting out of Francis hold to stand beside Arthur. The nurse kept looking at the computer as she scrolled through the information.

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked, his bear squirming and trying to climb onto the counter that created a barrier between the nurses' station and the hallway. Looking back up the woman looked surprised that the others hadn't been informed. "The records here indicate that he was released at ten this morning. He requested to leave and legally we cannot force him to remain here and be treated so long as he's not in a critical condition. I thought one of you might have been informed." She said, Arthur thanking her for her time and pulling Matthew away from the desk.

"Where is he? Where did he go? Why would he leave? Where should we look? What are we…" Matthew started rambling, slipping into French Canadian so that both Arthur and Francis tried to respond at the same time as they headed back to their car.

"Mon cher, I'm sure he's gone back to the hotel. We must have just passed by each other." Francis said as they got back in the car, Matthew burying his face in the back of his polar bear and Kuma squirming from the tight grip. "We're going to head there and check to see if he's gone to his room or to the meeting like he said he would, alright?" Arthur said, trying not to speed on the road in his own haste to go after the stubborn American.

They arrived back at the hotel in record time, Matthew leading the way to where he knew Alfred's room to be located. Fumbling for his wallet, he was forced to hand Francis his polar bear to be able to get out the second key card that he'd gotten from the front desk to be able to get some of his brother's things while he'd been in the hospital. France held the bear out from him, Arthur snickering at the image as Francis struggled to hold the bear aloft. Kumajirou turned his head to the side as he looked at the person holding him. "Who are you?" the bear asked, Francis blinking in surprise at the bear addressing him before replying, "France". Kumajirou blinked in response to the other man's answer as though not satisfied with the name he'd been given, Arthur holding a hand to his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. But thankfully Matthew had managed to get the card to be read and he burst into the room, the other two following inside as the Canadian switched on the lights. They were disappointed to be met with an empty room, although Matthew could see that a few things had been moved around.

"Well, now what?" Francis asked, placing the polar bear on the floor only for Kuma to walk over and climb onto the bed, circling a few times almost like a cat before becoming comfortable and laying on the bed. "Should we head back to the meeting room and see if he is there?" He asked, Matthew sitting in one of the chairs in Alfred's room.

"I'm not sure. Nations are not supposed to just go in and out once the meeting starts." Arthur said as he raised a hand to his chin in thought. "I don't think anyone would be in the meeting room right now. But even if there was an impromptu meeting, we could probably get in to check if he's there. But if he's not there, we might not be able to leave until the meeting is over without alerting the other nations that something is not right." The British personification said sarcastically as the Frenchman rolled his eyes.

"Oui, but I think they might have figured it out if America is there and we are not." Francis said as he glanced over the papers strewn about on the table. "It looks like Alfred was at the very least, preparing for the meeting, but with the amount of time he's been sleeping in the hospital, he might have lost track of what day it is." France said, holding out a piece of paper to Arthur. "I think he was trying to review everything but it doesn't seem like he's taken very much with him."

Arthur took the piece of paper that had pencil marks in Alfred's handwriting all over it from the first meeting. Francis looked to be right in his conclusion that Alfred had looked over those notes and then proceeded to try and recall what topic today's afternoon meeting was supposed to be. In his confusion, he had apparently forgotten that the afternoon meeting was scheduled later than the others due to it being the last day of the conference. The meeting tomorrow was more or less an informal gathering with a quick summary of points addressed and proposals approved before moving on to the announcement of the next conference's location and planned goals and topics to be addressed at that conference. If anything, it was merely an hour and a half at best and Arthur knew that Alfred would try his hardest to get in more than that from the conference. But in his eagerness, he'd not taken anything to be able to rush to the conference room.

"We need to find him quick." Arthur said. "He's probably only slightly better than yesterday and in that state, who knows what kind of international incident he might inadvertently cause." He said, urging Matthew back to his feet. "At the very least, he's probably running on caffeine and whatever he managed to snack on." The British man said in worry, the three of them leaving the room and the polar bear that remained sleeping on the bed.


	16. Chapter 16

Alfred had managed to convince the hospital staff that he was stable enough for them to have to let him return to the conference. He'd had enough of sitting around and he'd shown them that the wound on his chest had healed to the point where they couldn't make out even a scar. Filling out the necessary forms, he'd been told about the updating he'd need to do on his preliminary forms. He'd felt his face go red at the realization that Arthur had probably been informed of the older terminology on the forms that had more to do with family members only being allowed to visit when he was still under heavy observation for an illness or injury. At the time, 'former caretaker, ally, and estranged brother-figure' was a little long for the space given and he'd resorted to simply filing the British personification's name under 'brother' as he'd done with Matthew under the assumption that the older nation would understand the fact that he'd be as knowledgeable about his health concerns as Matthew. He could only imagine the look that had been on Arthur's face at being told that Alfred had listed him as his brother, although he was mostly glad he'd been unconscious for that big reveal. But he did find it odd that Arthur hadn't brought it up at all while he'd visited with him nearly around the clock like Matthew had. Still, it had been nice to have Arthur concerned for him and actually trying to care for him a little – until the night terrors would remind him of how much the other man really only hung around with him because of their alliances over the years.

The American personification had managed to make his way slowly back to the hotel and to his room, feeling as though he'd been running the whole way rather than taking a ride on one of those double-decker buses he thought were pretty cool. He'd nearly nodded off onto some kind old lady's shoulder until she'd gently nudged him awake as the bus came to a stop. He'd apologized but she waved off his embarrassment with a comment about doing that herself sometimes.

But he'd been too tired to really focus on the paperwork he'd pulled out immediately after entering his room. The bed had looked incredibly inviting and the thought crossed his mind to simply down a bottle of water like he'd been advised by the doctors, and to take a nap. He hadn't actually slept more than a solid hour with the nightmares and the desire to not fall asleep again and experience another one. The medication was out of his system, but the doctors warned about a relapse if he didn't rest up some more. Instead, he'd shaken his aching head to try and clear his thoughts before standing at the table to look over all his notes, trying to glean the most important pieces and remember what meeting he was supposed to be heading to at that time of the day. His stomach growled as it reminded him that he'd skipped out on lunch to avoid running into his brother and the two perpetually arguing Europeans that had been keeping him company. He'd thought it incredibly warming to think of them taking the time to look after him, but he believed himself to be able to get over whatever was going on with him mentally by simply getting back to what he normally did – and that was _not_ sitting in hospital beds. He'd felt himself start to sway as he stood, before gripping the table tightly. Glancing over at the clock, Alfred nearly felt his legs give out in his surprise that it was almost time for the afternoon session. Deciding on not bringing anything to the room would be better than bringing the wrong thing, and that he didn't think he'd manage to grab everything in the short time before the meeting was to begin, he'd grabbed his wallet and his bomber jacket that his brother had returned to his room for him. He smiled at his brother's thoughtfulness as he shrugged it on, sprinting out the door at fast as his tired self could manage. But he found himself sighing as he realized somewhere along the line he'd taken a wrong turn to the conference room and was in another hallway for more rooms. He made to backtrack by quickly turning around the next corner, but his path was blocked by a large mass that nearly knocked him over.

"Amerika?" Ivan asked, his voice filled with confusion while still retaining that cheery tone. The tall Russian man reached out to steady the rapidly wilting American personification. "I did not think you vould be back so soon. I knew the vodka would fix any ailment." Ivan said with a smile, Alfred breathlessly chuckling as he noticed Latvia being squished up against the wall with the Russian's other hand.

"Yeah, thanks for the bottle Ivan. It was a lifesaver." He said, more meaning in the off-handed casual remark. The Russian nodded and released Latvia, the smaller nation breathing out a sigh of relief at his temporary reprieve the American's presence had provided.

"Da, it always is." Ivan said, eyes widening as Alfred swayed a little and reached out to steady himself against the wall. "But are you sure you should be up so soon? Or did you want to thank me personally? To become one with mother Russia, da?" Ivan said, keeping up his cheery tone while Latvia looked back and forth between the two large nations.

Alfred laughed but refrained from rolling his eyes, his headache bothering him and dizziness returning. "Nah, you wish. Just tryin' to find the conference room so I'm not late again." Alfred said as he did his best to look as though just casually resting an arm on the wall as he stood and talked with Ivan.

"But Mr. America, the meeting isn't until later today." Latvia tried to helpfully supply for both the American and Russian personification, although he feared he'd once again done something displeasing to the towering man with the scarf.

"Da, the meeting is scheduled later in the day for today than the previous ones." Ivan said, enjoying the confused look on the American's face. "If there is anything else you want to ask of us…" Ivan began in his childish way, although Latvia could hear the underlying sarcasm in it.

"Since you're askin'….ya know what would be really awesome?" Alfred said, clearing his throat and blinking rapidly. "If you could catch me dude…" Alfred said, feeling himself lose the battle to stay awake and tilting forward.

"Catch you?" Ivan asked, face scrunching up in confusion. "I do not understand joke…. Боже мой!" Ivan shouted as he ended up with an armful of American man as Alfred fell into him. Ivan grunted under the unexpected weight as he fell to the floor with Alfred on top of him. "Ooof…что случилось?" Ivan muttered as he struggled out from under Alfred, Latvia standing wide-eyed at the unexpected development. Ivan poked at Alfred a few times, face scrunched up in the equivalent of childish curiosity at the lack of insult or any response directed to him from the American personification.

"Latvia, go find Lithuania." Ivan said as he readjusted his position to roll Alfred onto his back on the floor. "Latvia…." Ivan said again, his voice taking on a harsher edge that prompted the boy to stutter out a response.

"B-B-But…I don't know where he is right now." Latvia said as he stood up against the wall shaking. Ivan leveled a direct look at the smaller nation before answering. "Then you better start looking now, da?" The Russian man said, Latvia getting the hint and heading off to where he thought Lithuania's room might have been. "If I find your sisters first, do you want me to bring them…" He turned back around to ask but he could practically see the dark aura around the other nation.

"Latvia…go find Lithuania. Now." Ivan said, voice never losing the cheery quality that put the others on edge. The smaller nations shook at the look directed at him before bolting down the hall. As soon as the other nation was out of sight, Ivan returned his attention onto the unconscious form on the floor beside him.

"Never listening to what they're told; classic American attitude toward authority." Ivan said as he rolled the other man onto his back. "You come find Ivan for him to take blame, da?" He said, not entirely expecting a response from Alfred. Still, the other personification did consider the entirely plausible option of just leaving the American in the hall for Lithuania to find and be done with the problem, or to even 'help' by wrapping his scarf around the other as a 'comfort'. Ivan placed his hand on the other's chest to check on the other man, but the thicker bomber jacket Alfred always wore had been closed; not the usual style worn by the American but Ivan figured it was likely to cover the wrinkled shirt he could see peeking out from underneath.

Not feeling anything through the jacket, Ivan sighed and unzipped the article of clothing to see the wrinkled shirt the American hadn't ironed in his haste to get to the non-existent meeting. Laying his head on the other's chest he waited silently.

Alfred felt something shift him around, but his concern didn't warrant him making the effort to open his eyes until he felt something moving his jacket around. Blinking open his eyes at a weight on his chest, he was met with the sight of platinum blond hair. "Ah, still beating…" he heard Ivan's voice say.

"Sorry to disappoint…." Alfred mumbled, the other man sitting back at the sound of Alfred's voice. "But thanks for breaking my fall." He said, feeling his eyes slipping closed again.

"Are you still awake Alfredka?" Ivan said, slapping him not overly gently on the cheek, chuckling when Alfred groaned at the assault to his face. The American personification lifted his head and glared as best he could, but based on the other's laughter, he was hardly achieving the desired look. Instead, he let his head fall back to the floor with a thud and shut his eyes in protest of conversing with the Russian personification. "Alfredka?" Ivan asked again, this time Alfred swearing in his mind that he could hear genuine worry – or at least curiosity, he never could tell with the Russian personification. Feeling a weight on his chest again, Alfred stayed quiet in the hope that the other man would simply go away on his own once he realized he was still breathing. But when it seemed Ivan wasn't going to sit back on his own anytime soon, Alfred thought it time to say something to let him know that he was being a little unsettled at the other man's creepy actions.

"As much as you'd like it to be otherwise, you're bound to be disappointed again. Heart's still going…" Alfred said, not bothering to open his eyes again.

"Disappointment is not the same thing for you as it is for me, Alfredka." Ivan said, pulling away again. "Have you not ever read any Russian literature? Dostoevsky or Gogol could impart valuable lessons to you and your ever absurdly high expectations." The Russian man said as he held a hand to Alfred's forehead. The unnaturally chilly hand though was more comforting than Alfred had thought, leaning into it for a moment before Ivan pulled away.

"Yeah…well…I think I'll stick with Mark Twain or maybe Herman Melville." Alfred said with a sigh, Ivan shaking his head at the mention of the American authors. "But hey, if you prefer the morose, there's always Edgar Allen Poe for ya'" Alfred said with a slight smile. The two lapsed into silence, Ivan prodding the other harshly in the side when it seemed like Alfred was slipping into deep sleep again. "Dude, I appreciate the concern and all, but you really need to stop jabbing me between the ribs like that." Alfred moaned, swatting the other man's hand. "I'll be up in a sec'. Just need a minute to get myself together and I'm good to go." Alfred said, Ivan shaking his head at the stubbornness of the younger personification.

"I do not think so, Alfredka. This time, I've got the upper hand here." Ivan said, Alfred tensing under the other man's hand. "Latvia is bringing Lithuania back to help you. I thought you would appreciate the care…" Ivan said, Alfred looking for the hidden meaning but thought that it might be worth the chance that the other personification might actually be sincere in helping him. Before he could respond with more than a sigh as he tried to get comfortable on the floor, Ivan lifted him up so that he was lying with his head in the other man's lap. "I am not so bad, Alfredka." Ivan said a little softer, briefly placing his hand again on the side of Alfred's head. The other man shivered a little but thought that the brushfires must've picked up back home to make him have a fever. Or there had been more flooding in areas that left him feeling like he was drifting so much – perhaps that was why Texas wasn't making seeing things any easier at the moment. His internal musings were interrupted by footsteps that seemed much louder and heavier than they should have been to Alfred from his position on the floor.

"Mr. America!" Toris' voice said, Alfred pushing to turn his head enough to look at the other Eastern European nation. "Latvia, vhy did you bring Belarus?!" Ivan's uneasy voice asked, Alfred finally spotting the female personification standing in front of the smaller, quaking nation.

"S-She was with Lithuania when I found him. I thought you wanted to me to hurry so I told T-Toris that you needed him and his doctor stuff and she…" Latvia started to explain before Belarus interrupted, her gaze never leaving from Alfred's face as though jealous of the other man's position.

"I came to aid you big brother. I will always come for you, big brother." She said as she looked to the Russian personification, Ivan's grip on Alfred's arm tightening at the possessive tone the other woman used. Alfred would've laughed like normal if he wasn't immediately sandwiched between Ivan and his sister as he was propped up as a human shield by Ivan. Lithuania protested the movement as much as he dared, but when Belarus started going on about tending to Ivan's needs and that she needed to be closer to check on his wellbeing, clothes being a hindrance, Ivan's earlier statement about not being so bad was questioned by Alfred. In an act of desperation to gain some time to get away, Ivan pushed Alfred into his sister's waiting arms, Alfred receiving a kiss to his cheek as he tried to turn out of the unexpected embrace. Belarus' eyes widened at kissing America before backing up and wiping her mouth as if she'd just gotten a mouthful of something nasty, Alfred trying to get to his feet and out of the way as the woman took off after the already long-gone Russian personification.

"Whoa…" Alfred said with a laugh at the craziness between Ivan and his sister before sagging into Toris' arms, the adrenaline from the encounter wearing off. "Hey Toris…I'm good. D-don't worry 'bout me…" Alfred said with a wave of his hand as he tried to dismiss the other's concern.

"Mr. America, you shouldn't be out of the hospital yet if what Mr. Britain said about your condition was right." Toris said as he wrapped one of Alfred's arms around his shoulders to support him, the two carefully and slowly walking down the hallway. At Lithuania's look, Latvia approached Alfred's other side to assist somewhat but Alfred waved his hand.

"Don't worry little dude. Thanks for the help, but I'm not really doing such a good job at not breakin' stuff lately." Alfred said, Latvia's eyes widening again at the implication of an accidental injury caused by the other personification. "Don't wanna hurt you or somethin'." Alfred said with a smile, leaving Toris to try and counter the other's surprisingly heavier weight. Alfred heard Toris mumbling something in Lithuanian to Latvia, who apparently was closely enough related linguistically to understand. Latvia grabbed something out of Toris' pocket and took off down the hall with it. "Please, Mr. America…I can barely hold myself up." Toris said, gaining Alfred's attention as the taller nation pushed himself to not lean so much on the other nation. They continued on for a little while until they got to the elevator, Alfred sliding to sit down on the floor winded from doing far more than he'd had the past three days. Lithuania was also trying to catch his breath in time to hoist Alfred back to his feet, stumbling over to where Latvia was standing in the hall, holding a door open for them.

"This ain't my room…" Alfred said, wondering where he was. Lithuania gave a slight laugh as he gently deposited Alfred onto the bed.

"No. It is my room. I do not know where yours is and I have all my things to treat you with here." Toris said, Alfred nodding and turning his face into the pillow. He heard Toris say something else in his language to Latvia before the smaller nation took off again. "I'm sorry Mr. America, but you need to stay awake so I can tell what's wrong. I think you might still be dehydrated…" Toris said as he gently shook Alfred's shoulder.

"Yeah…can't seem to fix that right away. Ironic since there are a ton of floods back home right now…" Alfred mumbled into the pillow. At Toris' urging, he let the other man assist him in sitting up so that he could take his jacket and shirt off for the other man to examine him. While not primarily a physician, Toris did have an extensive amount of knowledge about health that had come in handy when he's been at Alfred's house while he had been reeling from the crash in 1929, Alfred finding it funny that his dream seemed to be repeating. He tried to struggle against the urging to let himself be taken care of or to be taken back to the hospital, but with Toris' gentle voice reminding him of Arthur's when he'd read him stories as a colony, Alfred couldn't help but comply.


	17. Chapter 17

Francis, Arthur and Matthew had decided to split up to cover more ground, Francis heading to the meeting room on the off-chance that Alfred had made it that far. Matthew had decided to try the dining areas first in the hopes that his brother really was back to being perfectly fine and in search of his next meal, leaving Arthur to head off in whatever direction he had thought best. It hadn't escaped the Canadian's attention that Arthur looked as though he'd had other thoughts on his mind as well, but his concern over finding his brother was overwhelming that curiosity; especially since calling the other nation's cell phone got them nothing but his voicemail.

Arthur sprinted back to his room to grab his casting book, depositing it in one of his coat's inner pockets before taking off again in search of any possible location he might find Alfred. Knowing from experience that the other man loved the outdoors enough to not come in out of the rain unless it had started to thunder and lightning, he figured he might as well try the grounds of the hotel. There was supposed to be a garden courtyard and an upper level terrace with plenty of plants that might appeal to the rugged pioneer aspect of Alfred's personality. Having no luck with the terrace, Arthur quickly made his way to the courtyard, only to be disappointed again at not finding anyone but the Nordics sitting outside. He was about to head back inside when he doubled back at the thought of speaking with Norway for any possible brainstorming the two of them could come up with over the spell he'd tried to cast on Alfred. He'd not come across Romania who was much better at curses with his gypsy knowledge, but Arthur had never had a problem with picking other nations for resources. And Norway was a more suitable option than calling up one of his brothers and dealing with them and their egos.

"Norway, might I have a word with you for a moment?" Arthur called out, catching the lighter blonde's attention. Excusing himself from the others, Denmark calling after him to get another beer while he was up if he was gone too long. Norway shook his head at the usual request from the other nation to get a free drink whenever he could, Arthur thinking about how disastrous a night with him and Prussia at the same time might turn out.

"Ja, what can I do for you Britain?" Norway asked as the two walked a little further away from the group of Nordics. In reply, Arthur sighed and pulled out his book, flipping to the page with the particular curse he'd attempted to carry out.

"I was hoping to get your thoughts on a particular curse I came across." Arthur said, handing the book over to Norway, the other man looking questioningly at the other nation as he took the book, looking down to the page. "I know you've your own brand of magic, but your opinion on whether or not this curse might have unexpected consequences if not fully enacted would be appreciated." Arthur continued.

Norway shrugged as he flipped the page back and forth as though to see what was associated with it to try and figure it out. "Why come to me? Go ask Romania about his curses…" Norway said, receiving a sigh from Arthur. "Alright, alright…" Norway said, scrunching up his face in thought. "Look, you said you didn't complete it, right?" He said, Arthur nodding as he crossed his arms over his chest. He could see that their conversation was going to be difficult and the other Nordics kept glancing back over to them, making Arthur's attempt to remain calm and civil more difficult.

"Well, this little blurb on the page talks about…" Norway began pointing to some of the writing on the page that was partly in his country's older language of runes. The Vikings had been to Arthur's homeland for a period of time, but he'd never been an expert at their language either.

"Yes, yes…it's meant to keep the intended victim's voice from being able to heard, as though 'the crashes of waves drown it out until the tide's becalmed'". Arthur said as he read from the page. As a former pirate, that particular detail had made the curse all the more appealing. But Norway shook his head.

"Nei…that's only if read with this last section, which I'm guessing you didn't get to." Norway said, Arthur's brows furrowing in confusion. "The runes need to be read a certain way, otherwise it talks about the victim's voice – or mind as the runes can also be translated – in a _sea_ of _fog_ until cleared by the castor or the victim finds a way out himself. Otherwise, it is like dealing with a hug that's being projected outward…" Norway said, handing the book back to Arthur, the Englishman lost in thought.

"Oh, ah, thank you for your help." Arthur said with a nod of his head as he took the book back. But Norway looked curiously at him for another moment as though to say something, no doubt to ask if that curse had anything to do with what happened to America, but a yell from Iceland had him drooping his shoulders and saying a farewell to get back to the brood of nations that had been up to something in the other's absence. Still confused at what the other nation had meant by a 'hug', he ventured back into the hotel to try and continue his search for the missing American. If the two could just hug it out and get back to normal, then that would be both incredibly simple and extraordinarily difficult for the Englishman, but he had a feeling that 'hug' might be something different to the Scandinavian.

He'd reached closer to the dining area with the intent to possibly meet up with Matthew and continue their search together when he heard the tell-tale shout of the Canadian when being pursued. Following the shouts, he found Matthew pressed up against the wall with Natalya pressing a blade against his throat.

"Tell me where you and my big brother were going to hide away, America." She threatened, not listening to Matthew's protest that he was Canada, not his brother. "I must find Ivan. I must!" she continued to shout, Matthew whimpering in his uncertainty of what to do.

"Belarus, what is the meaning of this?" Arthur said, stepping up beside the two of them and wrenching the unsuspecting woman away from her aggressive hold on Matthew. "I'll have you know that this is not very becoming behavior at all whilst you are a guest in my country. Calm yourself woman, lest you force my hand." Arthur said, his tone not leaving room for her to argue, although the dark look she sent him as she practically slunk back into the shadows was more than enough than actual words. Sighing at his slip into other forms of speaking, he returned his focus to Matthew. "Are you alright, lad? Nothing hurt?" He asked, Matthew shaking his head as he caught his breath.

"What would set her off like that on you – well, Alfred?" Arthur asked as he handed over to Matthew the other nation's glasses that had been knocked to the floor. It seemed Matthew had been having a hard time with keeping people from messing with his glasses, receiving more attention than usual and not in the way he would have liked.

Matthew shrugged as he placed his glasses back onto his head, wincing at the bruise on his nose. He looked confused still until he suddenly gasped and reached out to Arthur. "She must think Ivan's with Alfred for some reason. Do you think Ivan would kidnap him if Alfred wasn't up to fighting back?" Matthew asked in alarm, the other nation sighing heavily at the idea.

"I wouldn't put it past him. Come on." Arthur said, urging Matthew to follow him. "We'll see if we can find…" He started to say, only to run into Francis and Latvia. Francis and Arthur briefly scuffled with each other before realizing who they were manhandling, although that usually didn't stop their fights.

"Mon ami, Latvia has some news." Francis said as he brushed off the Englishman's grip from his collar. Motioning to the smaller nation who looked unsure of what to do, Latvia spotted Matthew and his eyes widened.

"Mr. America? How did you get here when you weren't able to get up before?" Latvia asked to Matthew, the Canadian's own expression becoming alarmed.

"Latvia, this is Canada. America's brother." Francis said, patting the boy gently on the top of his head. "You said you were looking for Britain. Now that you've found him, will you please tell us all what message Lithuania gave you?" Francis said, Latvia still looking over at Matthew disbelievingly.

"Oh, well… Latvia said, breaking his inquisitive stare to look over to Britain. "I was supposed to tell you to come to Lithuania's room on the fourth floor. He's looking after America." Latvia said, motioning for Arthur to follow him. "Russia and I were…um….talking in the hallway…." Latvia began, but the other nations could tell there wasn't much 'talking' going on for the poor boy, "Then all of a sudden, America ran into Russia and they talked for a minute. He was looking for the meeting room. But then he fell onto Russia and they both were on the floor…." The boy said, mirth in his voice that reached to his eyes. "It was actually kind of funny to watch Russia react to that."

"I can imagine." Arthur said, having had experience with the unexpected full weight of the American man flung onto him without a chance to brace for it. "But what happened to America?" He asked, the boy's smile slipping.

"Toris…er…Lithuania brought America back to his room and was going to look him over while I brought you to him. I don't think America was looking too well." Latvia said, guiding them to Toris' door and knocking a couple of times. They waited a moment before the door was opened by a worried-looking Toris.

"Sveiki, Britain…oh, and France. Sveiki Canada" Toris said, holding the door open for the others to come in, Matthew pleased that the other had remembered who he was. Then again, with Alfred already on his bed, process of elimination had probably made that easier. Still, the two had met when he'd dragged Alfred back home from Wall Street after his brother collapsed and it seemed the other man had remembered him.

"Thank you Lithuania. You too Latvia." Arthur said, walking over to see Alfred asleep again on the bed. The other nations each tried to find a spot to sit or stand in some semblance of normalcy, but the awkwardness in the room at the unusual meeting between these nations only continued.

"Ah, w-well, Mr. America is my friend too." Toris said, shifting a little in his nervousness. "B-but…I think you should take him back to the hospital right away. He's protested going back and I'd take him myself but…" Toris was saying but Francis held up a hand to halt his ramblings.

"S'il vous plaît, tell us what you think is wrong." Francis requested, Matthew nodding in agreement as he stood alongside him. That seemed to snap Toris out of his nervousness and into his professionalism.

"From what I can tell, he's still severely dehydrated despite his assurances that he has been drinking regularly." Toris began, the others nodding along as he confirmed their suspicions. "If that is the case, there might be something wrong with his kidneys. I've examined him and there are indicators that it might be that, but I can't tell for certain with what I have here." He said, Matthew's curl bouncing as his head whipped around to look at his brother after hearing his condition might have worsened. "And he admitted he hasn't actually slept since a nap mid-afternoon yesterday before he asked you to let him sleep. Apparently nightmares are keeping him from resting. If this keeps up, even with our fast healing, his body may start to fail him. His blood pressure is already low and he needs to get some help." He concluded, wringing his hands in worry at the end of his assessment.

"He's refused any more treatment and has probably made it difficult for us to readmit him with all sorts of legal jargon" Arthur said as he brushed a lock of hair out of Alfred's face. "If we watch him and keep him drinking, do you think a trip to the hospital can be avoided?" He asked, but Toris sighed. In answer, he lifted Arthur's hand to Alfred's forehead and then took the other to grasp onto Alfred's wrist. Francis and Matthew watched as Arthur's eyes widened marginally at something before he nodded to Toris.

"His body is fighting still, but that fever's only putting more stress on him. I think you've got maybe a day to make some progress before it's vital for him to be brought back to the hospital." Toris said. "I…I'll offer you my room and I can check in on him, but I really think he needs proper care." He said, Latvia coming to stand closer to him as he looked over to see Alfred on the bed. Even though the other nation hadn't been enthusiastic to the idea of them being brothers when he'd mentioned how nice siblings could be, Latvia still stuck close to Lithuania and Toris found that he appreciated that gesture at that moment.

"No, I'll bring him back to my room." Matthew said, surprising the others as he took charge. Turning to Francis and mumbling something to the other man in French-Canadian, the French personification sighed but nodded along with the other had to say. Toris also seemed reluctant but let his friend's brother decide what to do for Alfred, making room for Matthew to yet again lift his brother up into his arms. Once more saying their thanks to the Lithuanian personification and Latvian nation, they made their way back to Matthew's room like they had the first time Alfred had needed to be carried.

In the elevator, Matthew gasped, gaining the other two nations' attention. "I left Kuma in Alfred's room with the stuff we bought. Francis, you better go get him or he'll start eating your things if he's hungry enough." He said, Francis' face taking on a look of horror at the idea that the food he put so much effort into would be devoured by a hungry polar bear.

"Very well. I will go get your bear. But if the thing has done anything, I make no promises…" Francis said, Matthew rolling his eyes as he thought of how successful his former caretaker would be against his polar bear. Getting out of the elevator, Francis broke away from the group to head back to Alfred's room while Arthur followed Matthew to aid him in setting Alfred up in the bed.

"Hmmm?" Alfred said as he woke up as his brother carried him. "Wha's goin' on? Why can't I…" he started to say, wincing as his headache rebounded. Taking a deep breath, Alfred tried to get out of his brother's hold. "No…No…" Alfred muttered as he struggled, his distress apparent.

"Easy you idiot, you're alright." Arthur said as he helped Matthew keep his grip so that Alfred wasn't on the floor again. "You're brother's got you. He won't drop you." Arthur said as he calmed the other nation down, Matthew grimacing as he struggled under the weight of his squirming brother. Alfred looked at Arthur through a fever haze, but he stopped moving long enough for them to reach Matthew's room. His brother quickly carried him over to the bed while Arthur made to grab the water bottles the Canadian always brought with him in order to get some water into the ailing nation.

"No, s'too much water. Too hot…" Alfred said as he pushed the offered water away. "Don' wanna." Alfred said, trying to turn his face into the pillow.

"It's not an offer Alfred. Drink or it's back to the hospital." Arthur said with finality in his voice, gaining enough attention from Alfred for him to grab the other's chin and pour water into the other man's mouth, forcing Alfred to drink. With half the bottle gone, Alfred sputtered and coughed as Arthur tried to get him to drink more. Seeing the difficulty, Arthur eased up and let Alfred take a break.

"Iggy…" Alfred said, eyes closed as he reached out. "I-Iggy…" He said again, Arthur feeling his heart clench at the tone of the other nation. It was too much like when he and Alfred were inseparable and it was difficult for him to remember not to see him only as a child. Even after all their interactions with one another after all this time, points in time when Alfred had definitively proven himself immensely capable and powerful, there were still times when Arthur found him childish in an endearing way.

"I'm here, Alfred." Arthur said as he ran a hand across the feverish forehead of the other nation. But Alfred kept repeating his name a few more times before quieting again. Matthew groaned and rubbed his face with his hands before nearly falling into one of the chairs in his room.

"Matthew?" Arthur asked, quickly moving from Alfred's side to get to Matthew's. Now that he'd noticed it, the Canadian was paler than he normally was, which made the bruise on his nose all the more vivid. Gently laying a hand on the Canadian's shoulder, Matthew was prompted to look up by Arthur. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Just a headache. I was able to overlook it for a while – plenty of distraction." Matthew said with a humorless laugh, his curl looking like it was wilting too. "I couldn't sleep last night either and now this headache Al and I were sharing on the way here is back again." Matthew said, sliding down in his chair some.

"Alright…it's alright." Arthur said as he helped Matthew keep from falling out of his chair, internally panicking at the rapid downturn of his other former colony within the span of an hour. "You can take a rest too. I'll look after you both." Arthur said, using what strength he had to help guide Matthew to the bed. Luckily for him, Francis chose that moment to open the door with the spare key card he still had, carrying Matthew's polar bear.

"I was not quick enough to stop your bear from helping himself to...Mon dieu!" Francis said as he dropped the bear and raced over to help Arthur support Matthew. "What 'appened to dear Mathieu while I was gone?" Francis asked as he and Arthur guided Matthew over to the bed, he and Alfred squeezing together to fit. It was a large enough bed, but it just barely held both boys. Matthew snuggled up to Alfred's side as he quickly fell asleep.

Francis breathed out a sigh of disbelief at the turn of events, swearing under his breath in French. "I didn't think he was feeling so bad himself. He hid it well." Francis said, Arthur nodding along as he gently checked over both North Americans.

"Matthew never did want to make a fuss over himself." Arthur said, his eyes betraying his worry over the two of them. "But what was affecting Alfred had been bothering Matthew too, but I'm guessing not to the same extent. It just caught up with him I suppose." Arthur said as he dragged a chair over to sit closer to the bed. "I got Alfred to drink half a bottle of water but that's not nearly enough. I think we'll need to take them both to the hospital soon if things don't look better soon." He said, dropping his head into his hands as he leaned forward in his seat.

"They will be alright. They are stubborn to a fault and will pull through." Francis said with a hand on the other European's back, rubbing up and down comfortingly.

"But Alfred's…." Arthur looked up, tears at the corner of his eyes. "Francis I went to Norway to see if he knew anything about this curse, just in case there was anything I was missing. He said if I'd finished, it would've been a physical outcome, but with the way I left it, he's dealing with a psychological attack and I don't know how to fix it." Arthur admitted, not particularly enthused with the idea of sharing that information with the other nation, but needing someone to talk to. "I was going to ask Matthew for help, but that's not an option now." He said, voice becoming thicker as he spoke, looking over to the two sleeping nations.

"Well, mon cher, I am not leaving. Tell me what you need and I will do it for Mattieu and Alfred." Francis said. "I may not be doing it for _you_ , but those two need _someone_ capable of helping them." He said, earning a half-hearted laugh from the British man, Arthur running a hand across his face to compose himself.

"Alright then. Norway said something about a hug being the answer." Arthur said, watching as Francis' face lit up. "No, I don't think he meant it quite that way. I think hug is a Norwegian word for something, and there were runes as part of this curse…the Vikings came to your lands too, right? Normandy was one of their favorite spots for a while." Arthur said, Francis nodding as he was lost in thought.

"Give me a moment. It has been some time since I recall anything of their language on my lands." Francis said. Matthew sighed in his sleep and rolled over, prompting Francis to reach out to make sure he didn't fall off the bed. He gently readjusted his former colony with a wistful smile on his face at how long it had been since he'd been allowed to even see Matthew for a while. But Matthew opened his eyes at the movement, Francis softly apologizing for waking him when Matthew suddenly jumped off the bed and sprinted to the bathroom. Arthur stood up to follow, but Francis was closer and quicker, holding Matthew's hair back as the other was ill. Sitting back down in his chair, Arthur almost missed the fact that Alfred was staring at him.

"Oh, Alfred…" Arthur said, reaching for the water bottle. "You need to keep drinking Alfred. Not to sound dramatic, but it could very well be drink or die at this point love." He said, pouring water into Alfred's mouth. But the other nation let the water run out of his mouth rather than drinking, earning a huff from the British personification. "Alfred, please, it's for your own good."

"No. You tax too much…" Alfred said with a slur to his words. "I jus' wanna be like, brotherly again Iggy…" he said, tears starting to form in his eyes. "Why ya' gotta be so cold? I sent out the olive branch once and you didn't take it."

Arthur sat next to the other with panic on his face at the realization that Alfred was stuck in a fever-induced dream – or another nightmare from his curse. He bit his cheek to keep himself from breaking down too; not with Matthew ill and Alfred dependent on him again almost like he'd used to be. The American had sat with Arthur on a number of occasions when the older nation had been ill, and Alfred had called him a few times for company too. Now though, Arthur regretted not providing more than just the occasional visit that always came with another purported reason rather than just friendliness.

"Alfred…Alfred, it's over. I was loathe to admit it, but you won. I'm not suggesting you were right, but it's long since passed and we've both moved on." Arthur said as he gently petted the other's hair. Francis helped Matthew out of the bathroom, the North American sagging a little as he leaned onto Francis mumbling in French-Canadian about something that Arthur had no idea about. Seeing his brother crying, Matthew reached out as he was sat back onto the bed. Alfred's sobs lessened as Matthew held onto him, the twins looking like they did when they were younger without their glasses on and so close to one another.

"It's okay Alfie…I'm here." Matthew said as he rested his head on his brother's chest. "I don't have a biscuit for your head but maybe you could use one of Francis' croissants, eh?" Matthew said, earning a small and tired laugh from Alfred through his tears. Francis looked up at Arthur for an answer to the apparent inside joke, but Arthur shrugged in response. Alfred held Matthew tighter as his brother drifted off to sleep against him.

"S'okay…s'okay Mattie. I'm the hero…" Alfred mumbled, Arthur laughing at the usual statement from the younger nation. "And Iggy's gonna tell us 'nother story. He promised." Alfred said, back in that memory as he looked over to Arthur. The British personification took a second to catch on, Francis encouraging him to play along.

"Oh, yes…I did, didn't I lads?" Arthur said, clearing his throat as he launched into one of the stories he remembered Alfred used to enjoy. He tried to toss out several cues for Francis to pick up on to call for help for the two boys, but he had to resort to outright saying, "And then the wizard turned to the talking frog to command him to summon a mystical vessel to aid him called an _ambulance_ …". Francis had snapped to attention at that, grabbing his phone and stepping outside the room to do as Arthur had 'commanded'. But Alfred seemed so engrossed in the story that Arthur didn't think his mind would've registered what he'd said if he'd been more blunt about it.

"I'd save the day too from all the monsters…" Alfred said with a sigh that Arthur took to be him falling asleep again, the older blonde smiling fondly at the statement. "And the ghosts that…" Alfred said, looking over Arthur's shoulder as Francis came back inside the room and the door shut with a bang.

"My God, you made me jump!" Arthur said to Francis, the other man rolling his eyes at having startled the other nation. Turning back to face Alfred, he was about to continue when he saw Alfred still looking over at Francis.

"It's just the old frog again, come to ruin our story. Relax Alfred." Arthur said, patting Alfred's hand. Francis caught the expression on Alfred's face as the other boy seemed to keep looking at him. "Arthur…" Francis said slowly, urging the other man to look at Alfred's face more closely. Waving a hand in front of Alfred's face, he found him to keep staring.

"Alfred…Alfred, look at me, poppet. Look at me." Arthur said desperately, Francis racing over to Matthew to gently pry him off his brother. Matthew groaned a little but otherwise was more or less pliable for Francis and was quickly picked up in the other man's arms. Francis held Matthew as he sat on the floor against the wall with the sleeping Canadian.

"Alfred?" Arthur asked as he leaned over the other, feeling for a pulse. He felt the soft throb in the man's neck before resting his head on the other's chest to check his breathing. He heard the shallow intake of air and realized he'd have to do something soon if Alfred was stuck in some sort of waking nightmare.

"Arthur, he's not…" Francis said as he cradled Matthew close to him as though afraid the twin in his arms might start to deteriorate to the state of his brother. Matthew's face twitched as Francis rocked him, his polar bear getting up from his seat on top of the refrigerator to walk over and paw gently at his owner. "Arthur…." Francis tried again as Arthur lifted his head from Alfred's chest to look at the other nation. Deciding to just face the taunts that were sure to be coming, he lifted Alfred up and held him close to him. He knew that the 'hug' Norway had mentioned had something to do with mind-related magic, but he figured that doing anything at this point would be better than nothing. He closed his eyes as he held Alfred to him, ignoring the distressed Francis on the floor as the other man assumed the worst.

"Wake up Alfred. Whatever you're dreaming, you can beat it. You're the hero after all." Arthur whispered as he held Alfred close, Francis' mumblings in French to Matthew going over his head as he concentrated on the other sleeping twin. "I'm sorry I've been difficult now and then. But we've helped each other out; been there for one another. We are friends. I know we are – and maybe in our own strange way, we're still a little like brothers, hmm? We can be independent of one another and still be like brothers…" Arthur continued to whisper into Alfred's ear. "China and Japan acknowledge one another as being related even if Japan makes it a point to talk about how different he is…we're sort of like that, aren't we? C'mon Alfred, I'm trying, lad…" Arthur said, dropping his head into the crook of Alfred's neck and taking a deep breath to try and continue with whatever would help them both to clear that fog between them that Norway had told him about. He could hear the sirens getting closer and he lifted his head up to run his hand through Alfred's hair. "It's alright now Alfred. It's alright." He said at a normal volume, finally taking a brief glance over to Francis. The Frenchman had always been more open about expressing his emotions, and there were tears in the other man's eyes as he held Matthew tightly to him. Looking back to Alfred he saw that at some point, Alfred had closed his eyes again, but that he'd become more relaxed than the state he'd been in when he'd asked for a story. He gently laid Alfred down on the bed to answer the knocks on the door from the paramedics, wiping a tear off his face he'd not been able to hold back and sniffling a little. Francis tried to copy his movements, only succeeding in jarring Matthew semi-awake while he wiped the tears from his face.

"Francis?" Matthew said, looking up to the other man's reddened face. Francis sniffled and looked down, running a hand through the boy's hair. "Oui Mathieu? Go back to sleep mon petit…" He said, Matthew snuggling up against him again and fisting some of the other man's shirt in his hand as he fell back asleep. A couple of medics came over to help carry Matthew out to one of the ambulances, Francis following close by. He saw that they had garnered the attention of several passing nations who'd come to see what the flashing lights and sirens were all about. Matthew blearily opened his eyes again as he was placed on a stretcher and rolled down the hall. "Where's Alfie?" Matthew said, beginning to struggle with the medics to look around for his brother, a wince on his face as the movement hurt his head. "Alfred?! Francis where's Alfred?" Matthew continued to ask, the Frenchman rushing to his side to replace one of the medics that had stepped back when it seemed like the Canadian personification was going to do some damage of his own to the stretcher.

"Mathieu, relax…" Francis said, but Matthew denied needing to get any medical attention as he yet again called out for his brother, halting the progress of the medics as they tried to roll him down the hallway. "Mathieu, focus on yourself. Alfred would want you to do that." Francis said, successfully stopping any more struggles from the other North American nation. At the pitiful look that begged for Francis to tell him where his brother was, Francis felt himself crack. "Desole, mon petit…he's just…sleeping." He said, Matthew letting out a noise that sounded like he was being chocked as he heard what Francis said yet watched as his brother was rolled past him without the same urgency as the medics had given to him. Making the same conclusion as Francis, Matthew gave up the fight to get off the stretcher, instead opting to bury his face in the pillow as he was rolled away carefully.


	18. Chapter 18

Not too long after, Francis was sitting in a waiting room by himself, Matthew being transferred to his own room to spend the night. The Canadian had required the doctors to give him a light sedative to let him rest once it became clear after he'd woken the first time, that he'd be on a mission to find his brother. Francis had felt relief at hearing that the northern twin had only caught a stomach bug that was going around and hadn't been at his top shape to be able to fight it off with the migraine draining his reserves – and the emotional up and down with concern over his brother. Francis had spoken with one of the doctors and was assured that he could rest just as easily at the hotel, but given everything that was going on, the French personification had thought it best to let his former colony rest a little longer at the hospital to make sure nothing worsened. But now that he was told to simply wait, he couldn't help but start to get angry at Arthur for not having followed up yet on Matthew, even if the other man was his own nation now.

Sighing for what felt like the hundreth time in the last twenty minutes, Francis reached for his phone when he felt it vibrate. Answering the call without bothering to see who had called him, desperate for any voice to talk to, he was comforted by the sound of a Spanish accent.

"Hola Francis…" Antonio greeted over the phone without the usual enthusiasm that accompanied the Spanish nation. "It's been quite a fiesta, huh amigo?" he asked, earning a humorless laugh from Francis.

"Oui…that is 'as mon ami….that is 'as." Francis said, rubbing his eyes. "I am glad you called. I needed someone to talk to since Angleterre hasn't shown up yet." He said, an insult at the tip of his tongue that he just managed to keep in, knowing deep down that Arthur was dealing with what was happening with Alfred.

"Si…I thought you might need some comforting." Antonio said with a knowing tone to his voice, although the usual undercurrent that characterized the two's perpetual infatuation with innuendo didn't have the same effect under the circumstances for Francis. "That is why I am waiting outside with Gilbert…and Ludwig….who's got Feliciano attached to him. Romano's here too." Antonio said with hesitance, unsure how well the group's presence would go over for the other personification.

"Ludwig's here?" Francis asked, confused over why the German personification would have visited when he could have handled the meeting. His rough relations with the man had eased up since the end of the second World War, but there was only so much of the other man's uptightness that Francis could handle and he wasn't sure he'd be in the best of spirits for when Matthew woke up.

"Si…he managed to find a way to postpone this evening's meeting to merge with the final one tomorrow. I doubt that much would have gotten done anyway…not that much ever really does, right?" Antonio said, Francis reading into his explanation as the other trying to subtly argue for letting them visit.

"Alright…I suppose it is kind of you all to come. I will meet you on the first floor and we can all meet Matthew in his room." Francis said, already almost to the point he'd mentioned as he walked. Coming into the first floor's larger lobby area, he was met with the sight of Antonio trying to find a quieter spot from the bickering Italian brothers who were on either side of the German man, Prussia poking his brother in the back as he laughed at the uncomfortableness on his brother's face. Thinking about the two sets of brothers only made things worse for Francis as his thoughts immediately went to the North American brothers and what might happen to them. Seeing the French personification, Antonio ended the call and pocketed his phone as he sprinted over to Francis.

"Can't you get them to calm down? This is a 'ospital after all." Francis snapped, immediately regretting it at the surprised look he received from Antonio. "Oh, desole Antonio, it's been a rough few days and it's only gotten worse." Francis said, the other man looking at him in sympathetic understanding.

"I know, Francis. Feliciano hasn't shut up about everything that's been happening." Antonio said, Francis sighing at that admission. "But do not blame me. I am not their babysitter – that time has passed for me and Romano. Although with how much more chaos has been going on, I have been seeing him more frequently and of his own choosing." Antonio said with a small smile, hoping to get a happier response from the Frenchman.

"Glad to know someone else's tragedy is another's good fortune." France said bitterly, but Antonio merely patted the other man on the shoulder before pulling the other man into a hug.

"Things have a way of working out Francis. Do not lose faith." Antonio said, Francis gratefully returning the embrace.

"Hey, you two lovers need to find another room with those wandering hands. This one's taken by Germany and Italy…" Gilbert said with a laugh as his brother's face turned a dark shade of red in both anger and at the implication of what his brother said. Feliciano didn't seem disturbed by the statement, questioning why Ludwig had started shaking so badly while Romano stopped leaning over Ludwig to reach his brother to instead turn and fling insults at Gilbert. The interaction was causing enough attention though to warrant Francis' urging for them to shut up and follow him if they really wanted to visit with at least Matthew. Piling painfully into one of the smaller elevators, Ludwig muttered under his breath the entirety of the short trip until he could burst his way through the crowd of men and into the open hallway with a sigh of relief.

"'onestly Germany, what are you doing 'ere in the first place if you cannot stand being in the same room with us for too long? And what are you really doing here Prussia?" Francis asked he led the way slowly to the room Matthew was supposed to have been set up in, a small smile spreading on his face at seeing the sleeping Canadian all set up for the night.

"I dragged West here to see Canada, obviously. Because I am awesome like that and he clearly needs some of my awesomeness to rub off on him to get better." Prussia said as he grabbed one of the chairs. Francis sighed at the response, but Antonio pulled him aside as the others made themselves comfortable in the room, Ludwig smacking both Feliciano and Romano to remind them to keep quiet.

"As I told Britain, Canada was kind to Prussia recently and so Gilbert is trying to repay him somehow. I'm guessing he feels a little guilty, but Prussians never did go about expressing their gratitude the same way as those who speak a Romantic language." Antonio said with a smirk, Francis giving a short laugh. "He only wanted to check in on how things were and I'm sure he'll be ready to head out in no time. But I thought the company would do you good. Especially considering Britain's emotions are clammed up tighter than a crab's buttocks, if you get my meaning." He said, Francis bursting out laughing at the humor that Spain effortlessly employed, his laughter sounding slightly hysterical as he clung to that feeling. Antonio gave a small laugh of his own before Francis pulled the other man into another hug.

"Merci, Antonio…merci…I needed a good laugh." Francis said as Antonio patted him on the back. "And Angleterre would most definitely fit the description of a crab…" He said with a few more laughs as they entered the room a little more.

"Will you-a keep away you crazy perverted bastard?" Romano said, getting up to move away from Francis as he stood behind the chair he was sitting in, swatting away his brother's hand as Feliciano tried to keep his older brother close to him. "You're acting creepier than-a usual and I'm not afraid to have to…" Romano was saying but a look from Antonio had him reconsidering his words and pausing long enough for Feliciano to launch out of the chair and onto his brother for a hug. As those two bickered over the merits of Feliciano's hug therapy, Antonio dragged Francis into one of the chairs.

"But Romano, I only want to be close to you! I love you fratello!" Feliciano said as he held tight to Romano's middle as the other man tried to pry him off, Gilbert snickering as he leaned on his own brother with an arm around Ludwig's shoulders. "I don't wanna think about what would-a happen if I thought I was-a losing you like Matteo with Alfredo…" He said, Francis' head snapping back up to pay attention to the two brothers. Romano had stopped struggling and let his brother cuddle up against him without comment for a moment or two before he gingerly placed his hands around his brother. Ludwig looked over to his brother to find Prussia looking back at him, both of them not saying a word to one another before they looked away with a blush on their face and cleared their throats.

"Ja, that's girly." Prussia said, Ludwig muttering in agreement as he removed his brother's arm from his shoulders as the two fidgeted beside one another. Francis and Antonio watched with an amused smile at the Germanic brothers attempted to not see the brotherly display between Romano and Feliciano, but the silence was broken by a soft moan from the bed. Francis swore as he realized the sedatives were wearing off quicker than the doctors had anticipated, Matthew fidgeting in the bed as he woke up.

"Ah! Buona sera Matteo." Feliciano said, Romano taking the distraction to detach his brother from his side with an embarrassed blush on his face. "Ve~, we came-a to vist you so you'd be feeling better in no time!" He continued, Francis too slow to shut him up to keep Matthew from fully waking up.

The Canadian personification blinked open his eyes, his expression becoming confused at the sight of a full room of visitors. He took a moment to try and recall the last thing he could remember, running a hand across his face as he woke up. "Little birdie of mine told me you'd gotten a trip here and thought you could use some awesomeness to heal you." Gilbert said, startling Matthew as he looked over to his side where Gilbert and Ludwig were standing out of his immediate field of vision. He took a moment, muttering sleepily a few words in French-Canadian before his eyes widened and he shot up into a sitting position, nearly bumping heads with Gilbert. Francis shot forward to place his hands on Matthew's shoulders, easing him back into the bed as the other nation looked a little green at the quick movement. Romano backed up with a look of disgust on his face as Matthew gagged a couple of times before being able to take a few breaths, the older Italian brother relieved he'd been spared getting vomited on.

"Wha…Where's Alfred?" Matthew asked after he caught his breath, Francis comfortingly whispering in French to his former colony.

"Shh…get some more rest and then I'll tell you. Deal?" Francis asked, but Matthew sighed at that refusal to have his question answered. "Non…I promise I will tell you as soon as you're a little better." Francis said again, Matthew relaxing as Francis began to pet Matthew's hair as he'd done on the floor of his hotel room. Shortly afterwards, Matthew had fallen back asleep again and Francis let out a relieved sigh as he sat back in his seat.

"Why didn't you just-a tell him?" Feliciano asked, head cocked to the side as he looked to Francis. Ludwig sighed and shook his head at his friend's inability to read the atmosphere, walking out of the room. "Oh, Germany, where are you going?" Feliciano called after him but Antonio's gesture to stop had him returning to focusing on Francis.

"I didn't tell him Feliciano, because I am not certain myself." Francis admitted, slumping a little in the chair. "Arthur is, I am assuming, with him right now. But…" He started to say before glancing at Matthew once more to be sure he was really still asleep before continuing, "…Alfred looked to be gone before the paramedics arrived." Francis said, the others in the room gasping. Feliciano immediately sprung over to his brother and held tightly to him, Romano not doing anything other than stand still. "I have not seen Arthur look so desperate – he'd held Alfred to him after he'd finished telling him a story like Alfred had asked of him. I am 'oping that since Angleterre has not come to check on Matthew that I was wrong or that Alfred was revived in the ambulance and is with doctors at the moment." Francis said, Antonio soothingly running a hand up and down the Frenchman's back.

"I didn't think he was that bad off…" Gilbert said from where he was leaning against the wall. His conversation with Feliciano a few days ago now seemed to be coming back to haunt him. Grabbing the remote for the television in the room, he disregarded Francis' protest to turn the news on to see if there was anything overwhelming going on in the United States that might give them a clue to the personification's state of being. Seeing wild weather and various reports of disquiet, Prussia looked over to Francis to gage his and the others' reactions.

Out in the hallway, Ludwig took a moment to compose himself, expecting Feliciano to come running after him any second. But when it seemed like the northern Italian had been placated by some response, he took the chance to take a quick walk up and down the hallway to clear his head – there were only so many suggestions in sympathy books that provided any idea on how to go about comforting an ill or anxious person, let alone one that might be grieving soon. He was internally debating on whether or not Feliciano could catch up to him before he made it to the gift shop to check out their selection of books when he felt someone bump into his arm as he walked past. He turned with a comment about diligence threatening to fall out of his mouth when he saw that it was Arthur. The British man only mumbled an apology as he kept walking ahead, not bothering to look at who he had bumped into. Sighing but determined that he could pull off everything he'd read about being soft and caring for others in their time of need, he grabbed Arthur's arm to get him to face him. Arthur blinked rapidly at the sudden movement before realizing it was Ludwig who'd nearly assaulted him in his attempt to be gentle.

"Ludwig! What are you doing here?!" Arthur said, eyebrows shooting up in surprise and alarm. Like with Francis, Ludwig had to build up a professional relationship with Arthur after his attacks in both world wars had done heavy damage to the other personification – not that Arthur hadn't found ways to remind Ludwig now and then such as during their game during the Christmas truce when he'd hit Ludwig with his 'Blitzkreig Bounceback' throw. But Ludwig growled in frustration at the other man's reluctance to accept his help.

"Listen, I am going to help you and you have no choice but to like it." Ludwig said, Arthur's eyes going wide as he tried to ask what the other man was going on about. Before he had a chance to say anything, Ludwig had pulled him into the most awkward hug Arthur had ever experienced, the other man's reluctance to be 'soft' making it so that he had more or less just encased the other man within his arms without actually touching Arthur more than a graze. Arthur stood ramrod straight as his thoughts went a mile a minute as he tried to determine if he needed to try and flee. "Zhere, zhere…" Ludwig said, resorting to a few pats on the Arthur's back that reminded him of Alfred's less than gentle nature in the way they made him wince. Opting to just try and get the 'help' from Ludwig over with, Arthur sighed and let his forehead rest on the taller man's shoulder. "Thank you Ludwig." Arthur said with practiced patience before lifting his arms up to try and remove the other's man's arms as subtly as he could from around him.

"Waahh?! Britain's hugging Germany!" Feliciano's voice rang out, Arthur using that moment to use as an excuse to push the other man away. Ludwig released Arthur from the prison he'd made with his arms to take a step back, a slight blush on his face as he looked back at the smaller man. By this point, the others in Matthew's room had peeked out into the hallway, Arthur dropping his head as he realized that Francis would be given more fodder for ridiculing him later on.

"Arthur?" Francis asked in a smaller voice than the other man had expected, undoubtedly worried that such an action from the British personification might mean something else. "'as something 'appened?" He asked, causing Arthur to look up and straighten himself out as best he could despite the awkwardness of everything.

"Is Matthew alright?" Arthur asked instead of a response. "I…I'm sorry I hadn't come by before. Is he awake yet? I do need to speak with him." Arthur asked in his typical proper fashion. Francis' mouth dropped open and he looked ready to start shouting at the other man for a lack of emotion, but instead settled on asking another question. "What about Alfred?" He asked, Arthur swallowing before answering.

"I can't help Alfred. Now please just…ooh….bugger off!" Arthur said, shoving his way past the group of nations that had gathered outside of Matthew's doorway before shutting the door in their faces. Arthur sighed as it was just him and Matthew, leaning up against the door to take a moment to catch his breath after all that had happened.

"Why can't you help Alfred?" Matthew's voice asked, startling him into looking up and over to the bed to see Matthew sitting up and looking at him expectantly.

"Hello Matthew" Arthur said as he walked over to the boy's bedside, sitting on the bed beside him. He drew Matthew closer to him as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I'm glad to see you looking alright. I'm sorry not to have been here when you woke up but I…I was with your brother." Arthur said, Matthew's worry growing as he began to panic, his distress showing up clearly on his face. Brushing some of Matthew's hair out of his face as he held him, reminding the Canadian of when Arthur had broken to the news to him as his newest colony that he had a brother he hadn't remembered. "I'm sorry Matthew…" Arthur began again, Matthew clinging to the British personification as he feared the other was going to tell him this time that he would be meeting another new brother – only he'd be waiting a decade or so to meet another soul of America. "I did my best to…"

"He's gone, isn't he? Alfred's gone…." Matthew said, breaking down and crying as Arthur held him, shushing him a few times before being able to get in any words. Gently cupping the other's face as he used to when Canada had been in need of reassurance that he wasn't being left behind by Arthur too.

"No, Matthew. Not yet. Alfred's still putting up a fight. Just like he always does." Arthur said as he looked directly at Matthew. While he'd never outright said it to the other nation, in a sense, he'd considered all his colonies to be some extension of family. Alfred's case had been the most unique not just because he'd been significantly successful in his revolution to become his own country outside of the British Empire, but that Arthur had been completely blindsided by it because of the fact that he had considered Alfred very much to be his brother. Alfred's suggestion at their first meeting that he call his colonizer 'big brother' had never been forgotten and on some level, Arthur had hoped that Matthew would come to think of Arthur like that too – and Matthew had remained by his side for a very long time. "I've done all I can think of and now…now it's up to him." Arthur said while Matthew sniffled a few more times.

"Where is he? I don't really need to be here and maybe I can do something, eh?" Matthew said, working to pull his blanket off of him. But Arthur was quicker, halting his movements and wrestling with him to stay in the bed.

"Matthew, please!" Arthur finally said, tears in the corners of his eyes again. "I can help _you_ so let me! I…" Arthur said, Matthew stilling in his half-hearted attempts to push the other man away in his usual attempt to remain polite in his protests. He could hear the plea in the British personification's voice.

"I couldn't help Alfred very much but please…let me help you." Arthur asked, Matthew staring at the other man as he sat partly off the bed. "I…you wouldn't have collapsed like that if I could tell that you weren't taking care of yourself in your worry for your brother. I should've known what was making Alfred ill in the first place might have affected you – you even said you'd been suffering headaches like his…" Arthur said as he stood up and took a step away from the bed, turning his back to Matthew. Looking back over to the Canadian, he paused and blinked in surprise to see Matthew with his arms out in a plea to be embraced again. Feeling overwhelmed, he rushed back over to the other nation and held him close, neither needing to say anything as Arthur felt himself be comforted by the one he was trying to comfort.

Outside the room, Feliciano and Romano were up against the door trying to listen to what was being said. But aside from hearing Matthew's shout, the rest was too mumbled for them to be able to understand what was being said.

"Italy, get away from the door." Antonio said, Romano jumping up out of habit from hearing such things from his Spanish boss for so long. But he immediately shot a glare over to the other man, although his brother pulled him away from the door before he could finish getting out a single long-winded insult. As expected of the two, this resulted in a scuffle between the two as they swatted at each other, Antonio shaking his head yet fondly watching his former underling. Gilbert snickered at the show before returning to trying to convince his brother to head back for drinks.

"I told you _no_ Gilbert. You are not permitted back there anyvay after setting one of the chairs on fire…" Ludwig said with his arms crossed over his chest. "How did you…" he began to ask but his brother waved him off.

"Relax West. The hotel had those candles too close to one another for beer pong anyway." Gilbert said, Ludwig looking to Antonio for answers but received only a shrug in response. "But there are pubs for us to try and they might even serve good German beer and not that loser beer only Britain could get drunk off of. We can even get something while we're out for Canada and America because I'm just awesome like that." Gilbert said, his brother closing his eyes as his patience was tried, Francis and Antonio waiting for the explosion that usually accompanied the German personification's confrontation with too much disorder.

"That wouldn't be too bad of an idea Germany." Francis said. "So long as you can beat Russia and his apparently endless supply of vodka." He said, Gilbert scoffing at the mention of any other alcoholic beverage other than his beloved beer.

"Do you think everything will work out?" Feliciano asked as he and his brother took a temporary reprieve from smacking one another. Francis sighed but shrugged as he answered the other nation's question.

"We can only 'ope that whatever Arthur did before the ambulance arrived will help." Francis said, gaining curious looks from the others. "He went to Norway about a curse he might have tried to cast on Alfred after the opening dinner for the conference. He never finished casting it, but it had something to do with a 'hug' and he was asking me if I remembered anything from when the Vikings…visited….my lands but I cannot." Francis said with a disappointed tone, looking down.

Ludwig brought his hand to his chin as he thought about what Francis was talking about, his people having had a fascination with Norse things for a while. As he was in thought, Feliciano bounced on his feet as he reached for his brother again, Romano yelling at his brother for being clingier than usual. "Ve~, that's because hugs make-a everybody feel better. Even Japan doesn't mind…I don't think…." Feliciano said, letting go of Romano as he thought about some of the more peculiar responses his friend and fellow former axis power had given him when he'd not given enough advanced warning of an incoming hug.

"Feliciano, be quiet for a minute." Ludwig said, Feliciano giving out a small squeak but did as his friend requested, Romano sighing in relief as his brother calmed down. "I think I might be able to answer zhat question about what Norway was saying." He said, Francis perking up and giving his full attention to Ludwig. Clearing his throat, Ludwig continued. "Well, from what research that was done, ahem, back during the second world war…" He started with a brief look to Francis, but not seeing the other rising to his usual barbs about him from that time, he kept going. "A hug, or hugr, is a complicated thing – a mind but not quite a soul. It represents qualities like thoughts, desires, or wishes. It sometimes could be separated from a person or altered with magic." He said, looking to the others for their response to the new information.

"Did you memorize all that from a book?" Gilbert asked his brother with a disbelieving look. "Lame. You have no life, West. I thought I raised you better than that." He teased, ruffling his brother's hair. "I know I did a good job with military prowess but come on…" He said, Ludwig shoving his brother away from him with several shouts of "Verdammit" as Gilbert laughed at his brother, although there was a fondness to it.

"Wait, wait…Gilbert leave your brother alone for a minute…" Antonio said as he stepped forward to intercept the next playful assault. "Let Ludwig finish. We need to hear if there's anything to know. Fiestas later amigo." He said, Gilbert scoffing but releasing his brother.

"There's not much more that I know." Ludwig said as he smoothed his hair back into place again, Feliciano handing him a comb he apparently carried with him at all times. "The most I can tell you is that it can be turned toward or against another person through magic – make them friends or enemies. But if left drifting, it can die and if the hug dies, so eventually does the person it's attached to unless…well, called back somehow." He said with a shrug as he pulled himself up in a military stance he was more comfortable with as the others looked to him. "I don't know anything else about all that magic. I don't follow it. I just memorized what the book I read that in said." He said, ignoring the way Gilbert was making goofy faces at him while he spoke.

"Merci Ludwig…" Francis said with his hand partly covering his mouth as he tried to process what that information could mean for Alfred and Arthur. "I will pass that information along to Arthur. Perhaps he might still be able to do something with it." He said with a grateful look.

"Alright. Well, why don't we follow through with Gilbert's plan and come back tomorrow. Si?" Antonio said, Francis nodding in agreement. "Alright, we'll head out now. Buenas noches Francis. Send our regards to Matthew and Arthur..."

"And America once he's awake." Feliciano said with his usual smile, curl bouncing as he grabbed Romano to follow after the others. Francis smiled at the optimistic tone the other used, chuckling to himself as he could hear Romano's obscenities even after the elevator doors closed.

With some hesitance, Francis walked over to the door and knocked a couple of times. Not hearing a response, he pushed the door open and walked inside to find Arthur asleep on the bed with Matthew clinging to him. Grabbing one of the blankets that had fallen to the floor, he gently covered both men before settling into one of the seats.


	19. Chapter 19

Arthur shifted a little as he woke up, briefly wondering what it was that had woken him. Lifting his head up, he saw Francis hovering off to his side as he tried to sit up. But the other personification made a halting gesture and Arthur was reminded of the boy in his arms as Matthew sighed in his sleep. Gently he eased the other boy out of his hold, lovingly pulling the blanket around him to keep him comfortable.

"Mon ami, I have news for you about Alfred." Francis said as soon as Arthur was off the bed. Immediately the other's attention was focused on him.

"Oh no…not while I was…" Arthur said with a fearful expression but Francis shook his head to stop any further comments from the other.

"No. At least, I don't think so. You didn't exactly tell me anything before you kicked me and the others out a couple of hours ago." Francis said. "But you needed sleep as well…and apparently so did I…desole mon lapin, I fell asleep for but a moment." He said, Arthur nodding as he yawned.

"Yes, I understand." Arthur said as he tugged at his clothes that he'd wrinkled from lying in bed with Matthew. "And I do believe the nurses would've come here if there was no one around should Alfred…well, anyway, we're up so what is it you wanted to tell me?" Arthur said, switching to a tone he often employed with Francis. The other man simply rolled his eyes at this before pulling Arthur away from the bed to let Matthew sleep before repeating everything Ludwig had told them. Arthur remained quiet after Francis had finished speaking, prompting the other man to huff in frustration at a lack of a response.

"Well aren't you going to be able to do something now? I know it's Norwegian magic you were messing around with without any care, but surely you can do something now." Francis said, shaking the other man by the shoulders when it seemed Arthur had tuned him out completely.

"What do you expect me to do?" Arthur whisper-shouted to Francis as he swatted the other's hands off of him. "Waving my wand around won't do any good if it's this far along. I don't…" Arthur said, tugging at his hair a little. "I can't get inside his mind, but I can be with him. Can you…" he started to ask but Francis knew what he was implying, shaking his head.

"It is almost morning anyway. Matthew's an early riser and we'll meet you there if he's well enough." Francis said, Arthur shooting him a rare smile. "But the doctors thought he'd be recovered enough by now so all you need to do is _finally_ tell me where Alfred's room is, imbecile." Francis said, the smile dropping into a scowl at the easy transition into their typical bickering. But it was more of a fond look as they both knew it was meant more for the sake of normalcy. Telling the other nation all he needed to know to get access to where Alfred was being treated, Arthur quickly took off back to Alfred's room. The hospital wasn't as busy as during the day, visiting hours for typical visitors having ended hours ago. This made the trip back to Alfred's room somewhat more of a journey though for Arthur, with nothing else to distract from the thoughts running through his mind. But as soon as he reached Alfred's room and stepped inside, those thoughts easily faded as he looked at the nation in the bed.

Alfred's fever and dehydrated state required another IV like his last visit, except that he'd also been given an oxygen mask when it appeared that his breathing had gotten as shallow as when he'd accidentally overdosed. But unlike then, it wasn't as easily remedied and Arthur was left with the unsettling image of the normally boisterous and carefree man looking in that state. Monitors were set up around him like before, but Arthur thought that all the extra attention made Alfred just look even more uncomfortable.

The trip to the hospital had been rough too, as Arthur had to fight to accompany Alfred despite the ambulance arguing that they weren't allowed to take another passenger. But he'd argued his case enough that he'd been relegated to sitting squished up against the doors, but he was able to answer Alfred each time the other had called out for him. And he'd continued to do so even as the medics told him that Alfred wasn't coherent enough to understand any response given to him. When the mask was placed over him to give him a sedative to calm Alfred, Arthur felt the panic rise up again at how still the other man became again. They'd rolled him out more carefully and slowly than Matthew, and Arthur had heard the other North American twin practically scream out for his brother, his voice never reaching much more than the soft-spoken 'shout' they'd heard or the occasional scream such as one Belarus had caused. But Arthur had to leave Francis to deal with consoling the other to get the treatment necessary for him, partly because of his own feeling of failure as his and Alfred's ally in being unable to do anything to help either of them.

But Arthur knew that those feelings of failure also were translated into feeling of failure as a brother, even if both twins had moved on from any idea of family. Arthur sighed heavily as he took the seat he'd held vigil in for hours before building up the courage to face Matthew. "Hello again Alfred. I spoke with your brother and he's doing much better – can't wait to visit with you, just as soon as he's up and well again. People could've confused him again for you with that stubbornness he was showing off to try and get to you." Arthur said, grabbing ahold of one of Alfred's hands and looking to the monitors for a reaction. "He's made himself sick with worry over you. Now I know you don't want to keep him worrying so I'd suggest to put on that hero attitude of yours and wake up soon." He said with a small laugh, trailing off into silence save for the monitors beeping.

Arthur sighed again, leaning forward to rest his arms and head on the bed. "I'm worried too – very worried Alfred. The doctors are talking about dialysis if things don't get better soon and I know how much you're afraid of even the idea of surgery. So prove them wrong and fight through this lad." He said with a yawn, feeling his own exhaustion catching up with him. But he shook it off, hoping that he could do what Ludwig had said simply by talking with Alfred, even if the other man didn't respond. He didn't know how everything worked, but if he could even briefly touch the other's 'hug' as Norway had said, then he might be able to make progress. He'd already assumed that the only reason Alfred was still around to fight was because of the breakdown he'd had in the hotel room. Sighing again, he forced himself to sit up again to get through everything he needed to say without anyone else but Alfred around to hear it.

"You were right, you know. When you asked about me cursing you." Arthur said, attempting to speak to him as though he wasn't in medically-induced coma-like state. "I…it was after you'd gone off at me after that dinner when you thought I'd have Ivan tell you what, like you said, I have no problem pointing out for you. But I don't do it out of spite…" Arthur said, going into defensive mode before deciding to be completely honest, "…well, perhaps a tiny bit. There are times when I have a healthy dislike of you…But you are no better with your jabs to me, you know…"He sighed as he realized he was going off into a tangent. Taking a moment to begin again, he continued, "Listen, what I'm trying to say is that I began a curse to make you mute for a day when Matthew interrupted. I was so confident it didn't do anything, but I'm afraid it's what's given you those nightmares. I don't want to turn you into my enemy Alfred, never really have. But you need to push through those nightmares and think about something good. Focus on that and I will too." Arthur said, resting against the bed again. "And I'll be here. I'll be here for you, just like before when you and I were brothers." He said around another yawn, drifting back to sleep with his hand clutching Alfred's tightly in the closest the other could get to embracing him as fully as he wanted.

Another hour or so had passed before Arthur felt someone's hand running through his hair. Shooting up immediately as he looked to Alfred, he was slightly disappointed to find that although he found himself with the American's face looking back at him, it was with longer hair and a curl. "Sorry aboot that Arthur…I was just…" Matthew said, but Arthur merely patted the other's arm as he gave a tight smile to the other nation.

"It's alright Matthew. I understand." He said, allowing Matthew to sit closer to him until they were pressed up against each other's sides. "I'm glad you woke me. And I'm glad you seem to be doing better." He said, although it seemed more like a question. Matthew nodded in reply to the implied question.

"Yeah. Still a little queasy but Francis said he'd go get me a ginger ale from the vending machine to help." Matthew said in response to the way Arthur had briefly looked around the room for the other nation who'd been with him through their misadventure. Arthur made a noise of acknowledgment as he nodded and reached out for Alfred's hand again. Matthew was warily looking at how his brother was laid out, timidly asking another question of the British man. "Why does he have so many things attached to him this time?" Matthew asked, eying the monitors.

"Hmm? Oh, he needs the mask to help build up the oxygen level in his blood and apparently the doctors and nurses had enough of the way Alfred kept damaging things around here." Arthur said with a small laugh. "Last time, he dented one of the monitors and mangled one of the clips that had been on his finger in addition to the bed getting broken apart." He said, Matthew chuckling humorlessly at the list of things his brother had managed to leave his mark on with his super strength. "So they've strapped him up like this to get the same readings and a few others – figured it be more difficult for him to undo, but I told them he'd find a way." Arthur finished up as he wrapped his other arm around Matthew, the other personification resting his head on the other man's shoulder as best he could despite being taller than Arthur.

"What a cozy morning sight." Francis said as he entered the room, handing a bottle to Matthew which the Canadian eagerly took and began to down. "Bonjour mon ami." Francis said by way of saying good morning to Arthur. "Did you 'ave any luck with…" He began to ask but Arthur looked down and shrugged, silencing anymore conversation for a while as the group sat around Alfred. "Oh, Gilbert and Ludwig will likely show up again with some alcoholic beverage once their hangovers have lessened enough for them to get here." Francis said with a smirk as Arthur rolled his eyes at the thought. He knew Ludwig might not have had enough to be so hungover he couldn't take charge at the meeting, but Gilbert was another story. "The merry group from last night asked to have their regards passed along too. That was nice of them, no?" Francis said, earning a look from Arthur.

"Yes. I suppose it was a very cordial move on their part to…" Arthur began but Matthew suddenly doubled over, earning the British man's full attention. "Matthew?" He asked worriedly, Francis coming over to the other side of the Canadian.

"I'm gonna lose it…" Matthew said as the only warning before he began to gag, slapping a hand over his mouth to try and keep the nausea from getting the best of him.

"Okay, let's get you up." Arthur said, he and Francis quickly but gently easing Matthew out of his chair. The Canadian had only taken a few steps before needing to backtrack to use the bathroom in Alfred's room. "It's alright Matthew, let it out." Arthur said as Matthew was ill once again. "Maybe you should let the doctors set you up in here, hmm? There's another bed after all…" Arthur tried to argue, Francis softly speaking in French and receiving a nod from Matthew.

"I will be right back Arthur. I'll see if that can be arranged for mon petit Mathieu…" Francis said as he left, Arthur holding Matthew's hair as the other man leaned over the toilet. A few minutes later, Francis returned with a couple of nurses who helped guide Matthew over to the vacant bed that had purposely been left open due to Alfred's status as a personification to keep things as private as possible, just like Matthew had been given a room without a roommate. Matthew seemed more compliant than before, although he was only marginally impolite to the doctors and nurses the first time. But getting to room with his brother in his sights obviously put the other man at ease, allowing him to drift off to more much needed sleep.

"At least now they'll be able to keep each other company once they get a little better. Hopefully Mathieu will be over this by the end of the day or early tomorrow." Francis said as he took off his shirt, Arthur not bothering to say anything since the other man had a valid excuse of not wanting to wear vomit. Arthur took off his jacket that had been spared, handing it to Francis to use at least for some sake of decency if a doctor or nurse came in and made a fuss over unhygenic conditions. Francis took it and surprised Arthur by buttoning it closed without having to be asked. "I'm going to head back to the hotel to get some clothes and pick up some food. Matthew will only want his maple syrup like this you know." Francis said, Arthur nodding with a smile on his face. "As usual, I'll have to be in charge of providing suitable food." He continued with a teasing look that Arthur only shook his head at instead of responding.

Arthur opted to only give a dismissive wave as Francis left to go take care of what he said he'd attend to, the British personification feeling grateful that he and Francis unfortunately knew each other well enough to understand what to do for the other when times were particularly tough – even if Arthur would never have complied with any more marriage proposals from the other man. But with Francis gone, Arthur found himself feeling very alone with the two unconscious twins on either side of him. Unable to keep it all in, he covered his face with his hands and let himself silently cry a few tears.


	20. Chapter 20

Alfred felt as though he'd been dropped at least down one flight of stairs, briefly wondering if he tripped over one of his alien friend's little gizmos he'd leave lying around the house. It wouldn't be the first time he'd stepped on one without realizing it and gone tumbling down the stairs to find large red eyes staring back at him and gray hands urgently running up and down him once he'd opened his eyes again. Internally Alfred thought that Tony the alien might have really done a number on him that time as he tried to get a bearing on what hurt where on his body, only to find that he couldn't really move. He felt something on his face and his thoughts immediately jumped to the various possibilities of what had happened to him based on all the horror movies he'd seen. He'd begun to panic until he'd felt a gentle touch on the top of his head and run across the side of his face. He couldn't really make out words, but he knew that someone was speaking to him and he tried to latch onto that as he felt like he was stuck in a fog. He wasn't sure of what was going on, but he thought he could recognize the voice as belonging to Arthur and was only able to make out a few words, causing him to recall what he could last remember.

He'd heard some of what was said after the story he'd asked to be told, feeling a little embarrassed for having asked the other man like a child would ask for a bedtime story. But he'd become lost it seemed in some of his earlier memories when he'd run to his 'big brother' for comfort, and then he was being held again like Arthur had done before with the exception that the older nation used to envelop him as his colony. "It's alright now, Alfred. It's alright." He heard Arthur clearly say, and he'd tried to call out to him a few times before he remembered the feeling of whatever was on his face now being placed on him. Now though, he heard Arthur again as the other man must've been the one to caress the side of his face. "You were right, you know. When you asked me about cursing you….. There are times when I have a healthy dislike of you…."He could make out, murmuring in between that he wasn't able to make out.

All he could think was how rotten that was of the other man, after it seemed like Arthur had been genuinely trying to help him out. He guessed that he was only by his side out of guilt or to try and undo any damage before anyone found out, and he felt an anger start to build up that he knew wasn't just him. He could get really angry at times and that was when other nations had done something particularly bad against him and his people to the point where he had no problem unleashing that super strength on those who'd decided they wanted to make America their enemy. But as he felt like that fog around him was becoming thicker, he heard one more thing before letting himself drift off again – "I'll be here for you, just like before when you and I were brothers".

After that, Alfred was only tenuously grasping at consciousness as he repeated that statement over and over. He hadn't realized he must've gotten lost again until he heard more voices, confident that he heard his brother's name being mentioned before the warmth on his hand that he hadn't been aware of suddenly vanished. He ached for that touch again, never one to be closed off like Kiku was toward displays of friendliness that involved pats on the back or glomping his brother. Alfred registered that something was going on around him and he fought to open his eyes, his frustration mounting as his exhaustion prevented him from even moving his hands.

"Hopefully Mattieu will be over this by the end of the day or early tomorrow." He heard a voice with a distinct French accent say, piquing his worry for his brother. Pieces of what he'd heard earlier filtered through that fog that was his mind as he recalled something about his brother literally sick with worry and he wanted to be able to see Matthew for himself. He felt more than heard the Frenchman's presence disappear and Alfred debated on how much more of a fight he should put up until he heard what sounded like someone doing their best to cry silently. Alfred's awareness picked up a little more as he again registered something on his face. But being as he was and his mind always jumping around without having that fog getting in the way, he once again thought back to his alien friend and therefore alien horror movies. Unconsciously he began to gasp as he tried to figure out how to breathe if there was an alien monster sucking on his face. He heard blaring sounds next to him and that only pieced the last portion of his nightmare into place as evidence of being strapped to an alien device that was keeping him unable to move his arms to reach up and fight off the thing trying to devour his face.

"Alfred! Alfred, you can breathe! Alfred, it's alright!" He heard a terrified voice saying over the shrill beeping coming from his side. "America!" He heard as more people or whatever monsters he was held captive by entered the room. His breath caught as he heard another voice drifting through calling him 'Alfie' and he panicked at the thought that Matthew was trapped as well. He let out a fierce yell in his desire to get to defend his brother and any of the other nations who were in need of the hero, but his voice seemed muffled to his ears as he tried to shout again before he felt something pinch his arm and the fog build up again. As he felt the progress he'd made in getting his body to move fade, he registered something wet on his face and feared he'd been unable to keep from being the crybaby Arthur sometimes called him.

"I'm sorry Alfred. I'm sorry." He heard that voice say again and realized that it was Arthur beside him. Vaguely he hoped that the other nation had been able to escape whatever confines were holding him immobile and he fought to reach out to the other personification.

"I-Iggy…" He mumbled, unsure if whatever alien things was on him would let the other man hear what he was trying to say. "Help...M-Matt…"He said, trying to tell Arthur that he knew his brother was in the room too and probably needed his help.

"I am, love, I am. I'm trying to help." Arthur said before Alfred felt himself pulled back into the fog, although it seemed more and more like there was something in the fog.

Alfred felt as though he could cry at the fact that these aliens, who were _not_ cool like Tony, had stuck him in some sort of 'Alien' film scenario. Alfred took a deep breath before deciding to push forward through the fog, his surroundings changing to what looked like a submarine corridor's close quarters. With what sounded like beeping echoing through the area he was in that he assumed was the alien ship's alarm at his escape – though he couldn't remember how that had happened - he felt around on his person for his trusty gun, finding it and holding it out in front of him as he slowly decided to keep going forward until he was able to reach those voices again.


	21. Chapter 21

Arthur had given in and let himself cry for as long as he felt he could get away with before someone should interrupt. He took a few deep breaths as he tried to stop, only to have a few more sobs escape his lips. Glancing at the clock to see that Francis would likely be gone for a while still, he let himself have as cathartic a moment as possible as he wiped his tears on his sleeve. He thought he was getting control again when he noticed that Alfred's eyes were moving around rapidly beneath his eyelids. Sniffling as he got up out of his chair, he leaned over to brush his hand along the side of the American's face as he whispered and cooed to the ill man in the hopes of easing whatever nightmare he'd sunk into. He felt dismayed at realizing that the nightmares were still continuing despite how he'd essentially poured everything he'd been thinking and feeling out to the other man as he'd watched over him.

"Alfred…Alfred, mate, come on…" Arthur said, switching to a more equal-sounding term in the hopes that the American personification would respond to that. But to Arthur's horror, the monitors starting to increase the frequency of their beeping as Alfred struggled with something and he watched as it looked like the other man forgot how to breathe like he had the first time he'd been caught in one of those nightmares. "Alfred! Alfred, you can breathe! Alfred, it's alright" He said as he attempted to wake the other man up like the first night terror, except that the first time he'd had no idea that the nightmares were caused by his curse affecting the other nation's 'hug' to the point where his body wasn't up to coping. As he debated on whether or not to remove the mask to accommodate Alfred in his distress, the noise woke Matthew as nurses ran into the room and urged Arthur to step aside. "America!" Arthur called out once more before coming to stand beside Matthew as the other nation looked to him.

"What's going on?" Matthew asked as he propped himself up on his elbow to see what was going on with his brother. "Is Alfred…Alfie! Alfie…" he began to ask only to be startled when his brother let out a yell that sounded more like a bellow of one of the mountain lions that inhabited his lands. "Alfie…" Matthew shouted out to his brother to try and reach through to him as he watched his brother shake on the bed as though trying to move. Arthur clung tightly to the other North American as a doctor gave Alfred what Arthur assumed was a sedative of some sort to calm him. Almost immediately, he saw the tension ease out of the superpower and the monitor's beeping start to slow back to the tempo it had been keeping.

"I-Iggy…" Alfred mumbled beneath the oxygen mask just loud enough for Arthur to make out what he was saying. Matthew immediately let go of Arthur, allowing the other personification to rush to Alfred's side once the nurses had backed away. "Help…M-Matt…"Alfred said before completely unconscious again.

""I am, love, I am. I'm trying to help." Arthur said as he let fall a few more tears as he leaned over Alfred, wetting the other man's face slightly as they fell on him. He gently wiped the other man's face, only half-listening to what the nurses were saying to him before they left. He kissed the other man's cheek before leaning more onto Alfred's bed to keep himself upright as he thought his legs felt like they couldn't hold him anymore. He closed his eyes as he leaned up against Alfred, surprised to find another's arm around him.

"Oh, Matthew…you shouldn't be out of bed, dear." Arthur said, sniffling as he composed himself for the sake of the Canadian who'd managed to drag himself over to embrace Arthur from behind. Matthew shook his head before letting go and walking around to the other side of Alfred's bed before he gently settled himself next to his brother. Carefully he wrapped an arm around Alfred's torso, making sure not to mess with any of the wires attached to his brother's chest before resting his head on Alfred's shoulder. "Matthew, I don't think…" Arthur started to say before shaking his head and leaving it up to the nurses or doctors to tell Matthew to keep away from his brother.

"He wanted me near him, so I'm not going anywhere." Matthew said as he snuggled beside his brother again for the third time over the past few days. "Oh, uh…unless I'm going to be sick. You'll help me then, eh?" Matthew said as he looked up at Arthur again briefly. Arthur nodded to Matthew with a sad smile on his face as he sat himself on what space was left on the bed on Alfred's right side, placing his arm on top of Matthew's as they sat there.

Once Matthew's breathing had even out to the point where Arthur was confident that the other boy was deeply asleep, Arthur fumbled around in his pocket for his phone. Finally finding it, he begrudgingly called Francis. At the quick response from the other, Arthur tried to rush out all that had happened in the span of a single breath, not sure if he could repeat himself.

"Slow down Arthur, I can barely understand you when you're speaking at your normal pace. All I heard was something about your book." Francis said with a sigh. "I am just leaving the 'otel now. I'll go back and get it and be there in a little less than twenty minutes. Is everything alright?" He asked, Arthur taking a deep breath before continuing in a determined voice.

"No, Francis. But it will be as soon as you get me that book." Arthur said with a finality that the other man didn't question. "I'll tell you more when you get here. Just please be quick before Alfred has another….just get here…" He said, ending the call to return to sitting beside Alfred. Even if he didn't have as firm a grasp on the brand of magic he'd used, he planned at the very least being able to provide some comfort to the twins with any form of healing he could come up with. Although at this point, taking Feliciano's advice didn't seem as ridiculous as anything else.

Shortly afterward, Francis arrived with a duffel bag of clothes he'd taken from Alfred's and Matthew's rooms, although it also looked like the Frenchman had added a few of his own alterations to their wardrobes. But Arthur wasn't about to comment on that so long as he could start looking through the book that Francis had handed to him with a scowl on his face and a warning to just leave the magic alone long enough to for Alfred to get some recovery. Sitting down closer to the bed that should have contained the sleeping Canadian personification, Francis shot Arthur a look that demanded an explanation for the brief and hasty phone call to him earlier. When it seemed Arthur was going to just ignore the other man in favor of skimming through his book for anything to alleviate the nightmares he'd induced in Alfred, Francis got up and grabbed the book out of the Englishman's hands.

"What do you think you are doing, frog?!" Arthur nearly shouted, aware of the fact that he might wake up Matthew.

"Non, that it what I should be asking you black sheep of Europe!" Francis retorted back with his usual insult, seeing the predictable irritation on the other man's face. "You call me practically in tears and tell me that things are not alright. I deserve to know what 'as 'appened and I'm not about to wake poor Mattieu to get the answers I'm looking for." Francis said, holding the book out of the British personification's reach. "You do not get to bury yourself in something else to avoid talking to me. I know that is 'ow you prefer to deal with your emotional issues but not today." He said, Arthur jumping and successfully grabbing his book back from the half-hearted attempt by Francis to keep it away.

"Fine…I intended to tell you, just after I did a little search for answers of my own." Arthur said, huffing and holding his book protectively to himself. Sighing, he sat back down in his chair and Francis mirrored his actions. "Alfred had another bad nightmare after you left. It was bad enough to warrant a sedative and it scared Matthew pretty bad too; hence why he's stuck to his brother's side." Arthur said with a gesture over to the overcrowded bed. He'd luckily been able to dissuade the nurse that had stopped back in to check on Alfred from insisting that Matthew be moved to his own bed. So long as Matthew didn't mess with the wires connected to the EKG machine, then they couldn't really find a reason to move the other ill nation. Seeing Francis looking for more details than that, Arthur continued. "He called out for Matthew. I think he thought his brother was in some sort of trouble, not just that he knew his brother was ill also, but in his panic he'd asked me to help Matthew." Arthur said, Francis surprisingly nodding at that information.

"It is not so surprising, mon ami. He's feverish and that curse is making him even more disoriented." Francis said as he pulled out some drinks he'd stashed in the bag in his haste to get back to the hospital. "His mind would easily jump to what's most comforting at the same time playing out something he fears – he's afraid he can't get to help those he desperately cares for, namely his twin and he apparently trusts you enough to handle that for him." Francis said, taking a swig of his drink and making a face at the taste, mumbling about nothing comparing to French versions of the drink.

"I suppose that makes some sense. Although I don't remember you ever getting your degree in psychology…" Arthur said with a mocking look to the other European, but Francis just waved him off.

"Mon cher, it is crucial to be able to read into what people are saying to know what they truly feel and want, even if they don't understand those desires themselves. The French are the experts at that, hon hon hon…" He said with a smirk while Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Do you use that line to justify making a grab at everything and anything you see?" Arthur retorted, growing frustrated when Francis only continued with his laugh that the Englishman found more and more grating as it continued.

"Love needs no justification, mon lapin. I 'ave tried to tell you that for years…" Francis said, Arthur scoffing and standing up to look over the twins again.

"Uh oh…Matthew's messing with the wires again." Arthur said, trying to gently shift the Canadian from his insistence on wrapping his arm around his brother's chest and trying to rest his head more on his chest rather than Alfred's shoulder. "He keeps trying to cuddle with him like they were at the hotel. Help me try and shift him a little so the nurses don't make a fuss." He said to Francis, the other man coming over to assist Arthur. But as soon as Francis gently touched Matthew's leg to keep him from getting too tangled up with his brother in their sleep, the Canadian sleepily yawned and made to stretch like normal. Arthur caught his arms before he managed to do anything, jarring Matthew into full awareness at the unexpected hold on him. He mumbled out a small 'take off, eh' before realizing where he was and who was holding him back.

"Sorry love, but you need to be careful with how you lay next to him. We didn't mean to wake you." Arthur said as Matthew looked over to him. The Canadian nodded and shifted over to sit up, leaning against Arthur as he steadied himself. He mumbled something in his half-asleep state that only Francis understood, the other man asking for Arthur to step back so he could get closer to Matthew. Arthur backed up and watched as Francis gently spoke to Matthew about something before the Frenchman looked to Arthur.

"He needs to get to the bathroom again. He's a little nauseous still and didn't think you'd want to leave Alfred." Francis explained as Matthew stood up and let Francis walk beside him to the bathroom, but he stopped at the door before giving Francis a look that Arthur snickered at. Even though Matthew was once his colony and was always polite to him, there were times when Francis was reminded how even the Canadian knew to keep a healthy wariness up around his former caretaker. Francis held his hands up in mock surrender as Matthew shut the door.

"I am only trying to help mon petit Mathieu." Francis said through the door. Arthur shook his head as Matthew called back out to Francis that he was plenty capable of finding everything on his own, with a thank you attached to the end that may or may not have been sarcastic. Francis rolled his eyes as he turned back to face Arthur.

"I blame you for spoiling that open spirit of his when he was my colony." Francis said as he pretended to be insulted by Matthew's attitude, Arthur smiling in humor.

"Yes, well, I didn't force him to make those remarks after the revolution in your home that the French in your land were no longer true French. That was all Matthew in his gloriously brief outspoken years when he wanted to make sure I knew he was sticking by my side." Arthur said, Francis scoffing at that. "Thank Heavens he never went as far as Alfred did to make a point." He continued, Francis smirking at him at the implied notion of how Alfred had come to him when he'd been rebellious. But before they could delve further into reminiscing on heavily-weighted issues, Matthew reemerged from the bathroom and headed over toward his bed, crawling into it and pulling the blankets up to his chin.

"Are you alright Matthew? Do you need anything?" Francis asked as they watched the Canadian look gloomily back over to them, answering with a shake of his head. "What is wrong, mon cher?" Francis asked, sitting on the bed despite Matthew's earlier request for some space as he gently pet the top of Matthew's head.

"I'm worried about Al…" Matthew said, the others shooting sympathetic smiles to the ill man. "I just…I'm used to it being the other way around, eh? I always catch something because of the tough winters, but Al comes to at least cheer me up and does a good job of taking care of me….sort of, you know, in his own way." Matthew finished with a small smile as he thought about his brother trying to be 'gentle'. There were times when Matthew had to remind his brother that treating a cold wasn't the same thing as trying to simply dominate it and that he could stand to be a little more patient.

"Does he still put food on your head?" Arthur asked with a smirk, gaining a laugh from Matthew as he nodded in answer.

"Every time, but in addition to actual medicine. Says he learned that from you." Matthew said with a yawn, Arthur looking confused at the idea that somehow the American had reinterpreted one of his lessons to get the idea of treating an illness with food on one's head. "Said, you told him laughter was the best medicine and he only wants to keep people smiling and happy." Matthew clarified to Arthur, the other man looking overwhelmed at the notion.

"So he would take care of you with a biscuit on your head?" Francis asked with a chuckle, his mirth only growing when Matthew shot him a confused look. "You said something about that back at the hotel after you were sick." Francis said, Matthew looking as though trying to recall that memory. His mouth made an 'o' as he remembered before smiling again. "Yeah. That was the very first time we were reintroduced and Arthur left me alone with Alfred." He said, Francis looking over to Arthur with an unamused, scolding look.

"If that was how you planned on taking care of him, why did you want to take him from me in the first place?" He all but growled at Arthur before shaking his head and holding up a hand to stop any further argument on that long-since passed matter.

"He had work to do, right Arthur? " Matthew said as he looked over in defense of his other former caretaker. "And Al took good care of me, even if he did knock half the house down." He said with a laugh at the state of things when Arthur had returned.

"Oh, yes…I do remember that." Arthur said from his seat. "Little bugger nearly ripped my study to bits by the time I returned. I was only gone a couple of days yet he managed to do so much damage." He said with a shake of his head. "And if I remember correctly, he wasn't at the house when I first returned – off gathering more medicine he'd concocted for you from one of my books." He said, Matthew nodding his head with his eyes closed. Francis whispered to him that they could talk later if the other personification wanted to sleep. But Matthew forced his eyes open and shook his head, although his body answered otherwise with another yawn. He shifted around a little on the bed, but shortly afterward fell asleep again as the other men remained quiet for him.

"He is asleep again Arthur. He needs it." Francis said as he tucked the blankets up around Matthew. "He is doing much better but still not quite back to himself again. And his bear knows it too. The monstrosity had nearly clawed his way through the hotel door by the time I had gotten there." He said as he returned to the chair he had been sitting in. Arthur grimaced at the thought of the extent of the damage that had been done, but refrained from commenting.

"Yes, I'm sure his bear is just worried, just like he is with his brother." Arthur said as he opened up the book again. "If only there was a recipe for a medicine in this book like that the one Alfred used when he was in a panic." He said, idly flipping through pages he'd read and re-read several times already.

"Continue with that story, mon ami, it might help you clear your mind and see whatever it is you've been overlooking." Francis suggested, earning a small smile from Arthur.

"As Matthew said, I'd returned back home to find the house looking as though one of Alfred's tornadoes had torn through it. Matthew was curled up in bed with a wet rag on his forehead and Alfred was nowhere to be found." He said, Francis chuckling at the image of what clearly had been a panicked Arthur. "I checked on Matthew and he told me that Alfred had gone 'out' to get more ingredients to make more medicine. Naturally I was terrified not only that Alfred was missing but that he'd possibly poisoned Matthew with whatever he'd given to him. That is until Matthew pointed out the book from which Alfred had gotten the list of ingredients and remedies and I realized the lad was handling things as well as could be expected from one so young and small." Arthur said as he rubbed his face with his hand at the memory.

"He left the book behind? How did he know what to get?" Francis said, wondering if the American's occasional forgetfulness had been a characteristic he'd always had.

"Like I said, little bugger tore my study apart. He ripped the pages he needed out of that book to run back and forth – tore the binding on the book too." Arthur said with a bit of frustration at how easily the other man could tear apart his things without even trying, a trait he still carried with him.

"Hon, hon, hon….that sounds very much like our Alfred, oui?" Francis said, laughing at the story Arthur recounted. "I supposed he came back carrying a load of ingredients he'd gathered from who knows where. But I'm sure he helped to clean things up."

Arthur nodded as he looked over to the sleeping full-grown version of his former colony. "He did. He wasn't usually so forthcoming with offers like that, but he said he wanted to be a good brother. I guess he meant myself and Matthew at the time." Arthur said with a small shrug. "That was an easier episode of dealing with Alfred and 'medicine'. He nearly gave me heart attack one time with his antics." Arthur said, shaking his head. Francis could tell the other was about to launch into another story. The British man always loved the chance to tell a good story and with the topic, Francis thought it might be better to let Arthur continue.

* * *

Arthur sat in his study in his American colony's house, wearily looking over the parchments that covered the entirety of his desk. He had only just returned from his supervision of other matters in other areas of what was turning out to be the development of becoming an empire, a status that Arthur was finding more appealing now that Spain and France looked to be backing off. But he'd had a headache and was sore from spending so much time at sea, no matter how much he enjoyed sailing. He'd gone straight to sleep after a quick dinner with the always excitable Alfred who'd been talking incessantly since he'd arrived. He felt a little ashamed that he'd been so short with the tiny colony, although Alfred had grown up some since he'd last visited and resembled more of a six or seven-year-old child. He'd even gone so far as to meet Arthur at the docks in one of the dressier clothes that Arthur had gifted to him in the anticipation of when he would need newer clothes, although that had been sooner than expected for Arthur. Alfred had beamed up at his 'big brother' in his joy at having him visit with him again, Arthur fondly ruffling up the boy's hair as they headed back to Alfred's house. Arthur had urged the other boy to calm down as he waited for his things to be unloaded, but Alfred had scooped up the majority of heavy cases and started off in the direction of their house before Arthur had time to argue. The usual conversation over dinner seemed more forced on Arthur's part as Alfred continued to go off about how great things in America were and how he'd be great like Britain, although he wasn't sure he'd like to stick 'Great' in front of America like Great Britain. Arthur had lasted as long as he could before picking up his plate and heading to his study with a call over his shoulder for Alfred to not stay up late. Arthur had sat on the couch in his study and fallen asleep almost immediately, waking to find a blanket over him that undoubtedly had been put there by Alfred.

Now he was trying to finish up quick enough to be able to free up his afternoon as much as possible to make it up to Alfred. Although the attempts at violin playing coming from down the hall were making it hard for the older personification to concentrate, even though he knew Alfred was actually doing like he'd asked. He stood up from his desk and walked down to the room Alfred was playing in, peeking in to find Alfred taking a short break and giving Arthur a short reprieve. Peeking inside, he saw Alfred sniffling a couple of times before sneezing three times in a row, snapping the bow he'd been holding by accident.

"Aww…." Alfred whined at having broken another of his playthings. Arthur walked into the room, eyeing the damage to the bow that Alfred tried to hide behind his back to keep Arthur from noticing. "Hey Iggy!" Alfred said with a large smile to look innocent, but Arthur shook his head and reached behind him to grab the bow out of the child's hands. Alfred's face fell at that and Arthur sighed, knowing it might be a little while before he could replace the bow if he couldn't finish his work.

"Why don't you go outside and play for a bit. I'll….see what I can do for you, alright Alfred?" Arthur said, Alfred glumly nodding at the idea that Arthur was pushing him aside as punishment for not watching what he was doing again.

"Alright, but you promised to let me show you the new stuff 'round town and we got a lotta new…" Alfred was saying but was cut off by Arthur's gesturing with his hands to get his attention.

"Tell me later Alfred. And only when you remember how to speak like a proper Englishman." He said, earning a pout from Alfred who crossed his arms and stormed out through the door at having been blown off again in his efforts to spend time with Arthur. Arthur sighed and went back to his desk, dropping the bow onto the couch for later with the idea of possibly applying something to the wood to hold it in place long enough for Alfred to use as a replacement until another was crafted.

Alfred stormed off into the woods, sniffling again before giving off another round of sneezes. He wiped his nose on his sleeve before he decided to head off in the direction he knew to be the path to the closest Native American settlement. He didn't often hang around with them, but considering the townspeople might tattle to Arthur if Alfred did anything too 'ungentlemanly', he thought a visit might not be too bad. Especially since they seemed so familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time, they captured his imagination and fascination. They also had games that Alfred loved to play and there were always one or two boys or girls who'd be able to play with him for a little while, even if those games actually involved doing chores too. He'd just have to remember not to return back home with feathers or any paint on him that would surely make Arthur furious. He followed the path until he saw smoke from one of the fires, gleefully laughing as he then raced toward the settlement. He heard voices coming down by the river and made his way that way, arriving in time to see one of the men lose his hold on one of the nets as the rope snapped. He laughed as the man fell back in his canoe, but raced forward to grab a hold of the net filled with fish as it drifted closer to him, easily dragging it over to shore.

A few shouts were heard as the others saw a little white boy on their settlement, prompting Alfred to look up and smile as he recognized one of the boys from the group. Seeing that the little boy had come to play and spend time with them, their uneasiness was abated as the group recognized that Alfred wasn't quite the same as any other normal child. Alfred spent the day playing and running around the settlement, only stopping now and then to snack on something offered to him and when he needed to stop and catch his breath when the sniffles caught up with him. One of the boys noticed and motioned for Alfred to follow him, Alfred curiously following after the boy who was a couple of feet taller than him but still shorter than Arthur. Alfred's eyes widened as he was introduced to the spiritual leader and healer of the group who smiled kindly to Alfred as she looked him over. She had feathers on her head that caused Alfred to laugh when she leaned her head against his chest as they tickled under his chin. She mentioned something about some medicines that Alfred could take and rest there if he wished. Alfred felt a little sad that he had to decline her offer, especially since he really was tempted to sleep on the pile of blankets and furs that she'd offered. She smiled in understanding before another woman called her out for something, urgency in her voice that had the other woman not wasting any time. Alfred looked around her things with the other boy, the taller boy pointing out what each was and what they were supposed to do as Alfred held things up.

It became like a game after a while, Alfred learning that the other boy was training to take over the older woman's position. The American personification was particularly interested in one concoction that the boy told him was used as medicine for spirit journeys and would cleanse the body with the smoke produced from burning it, that the person going on such a journey was supposed to breathe in deeply. Alfred had stared in awe at the root he held with the bundle of other things wrapped around it. It was one of several that had been stored in a basket and he was about to ask more questions when the older woman returned and ushered the boys out as another woman grabbing her enlarged abdomen was brought inside. Alfred had made a face at realizing that women who looked like that were about to start screaming and have a baby come out, having been stuck inside one of the churches during a rough thunderstorm and seeing that happen before – he'd recounted it all in graphic detail to Arthur who told him to try not to worry about that sort of thing with an indecipherable look on his face.

As he and the other boy were ushered out, Alfred realized that it had gotten much later than he'd thought and hurriedly thanked the other boy for spending the day with him and took off. He was halfway home when he realized that he still had the small medicine bundle in his hands and he stopped to think about whether or not to head back and return it. Alfred scrunched up his face in thought before deciding that medicine was medicine and since Arthur was apparently really busy, he might as well use the medicine bundle on himself so that he could be better for tomorrow when hopefully Arthur would be able to do things with him. He grabbed a few rocks and made a tiny campfire, working to light it with sticks like he'd learned how to do. Getting a small flame, he dropped the medicine bundle into the tiny fire and waited for smoke to start billowing, taking in deep breaths like the other boy had mentioned. He started to feel a little light-headed and his chest felt tight as he breathed in the smoke. He took a few more deep breaths before he thought that maybe the medicine was defective and he should just return to Arthur before it got any later in the day. He tried to run back but found it harder to keep his balance and instead decided to just walk back into the house.

"Arthur…." He called out as he stumbled around in the house as he made his way to Arthur's study. He expected to be reprimanded as soon as he arrived but as he walked into Arthur's study without a knock to the door, he found Arthur still with quill in hand. "Arthur…" He called out again, succeeding in getting his caretaker's attention.

"Alfred, I told you to go play. I'll be with you as soon as I'm done." Arthur said with an exasperated tone. "A few more things have been brought to my attention. But I'll play with you later." He said, looking back down to his papers as he spoke, Alfred feeling panic as his head continued to spin and Arthur hadn't realized how much time had passed since he'd sent Alfred outside to play.

"But Arthur, my chest feels funny…" He started to say, running a hand across his chest to make his point, but Arthur still had his head down.

"Please Alfred. Just do as I say." Arthur said, Alfred hearing the plea to be left alone and grabbing the doorknob as he shut the door again. It was nearing dinnertime and although Alfred was always hungry, he wanted to crawl into bed as his tiredness was getting the best of him. But as he passed by the room Arthur used when he visited, he instead decided to just crawl into his caretaker's bed. He was on the bed and in moments he was feeling better as he lay on his back, arms flung out to the sides as he closed his eyes and felt his breathing slow as he fell asleep.

Arthur had finished up with the last paper in one pile before he accidentally knocked over the candle he had sitting on his desk. He jumped as it hit the floor, thankful that it hadn't been lit. That thought had him looking out his window to realize that he'd worked until nearly dusk. He sighed as he stood up and ran a hand through his hair in regret at the realization that he'd ignored Alfred's pleas yet again.

"Alfred?" Arthur called out as he walked out into the quiet hall, wondering what could possibly be keeping the boy's attention so much that it was so quiet. Heading towards the kitchen in the suspicion that Alfred had helped himself or was attempting to cook for them both, Arthur called out a few more times. When he didn't get any response and didn't find the American personification anywhere, he decided to check the bedrooms. He breathed a sigh of relief to find Alfred on his bed, smiling fondly at the boy before thinking about how the colony never seemed to slow down willingly. Walking over to the bed in concern, he sat down beside the boy. "Alfred, wake up lad. I'll make you something delicious for supper as an apology for leaving you on your own so much. I don't mean to, poppet." He said, running a hand through the boy's hair and smiling at how his cowlick never seemed to move. "Alfred?" He said, shaking his colony when he didn't get a response. "Oh, Alfred, this is ridiculous. Don't ignore me as some game, because I don't appreciate your stubbornness young man." Arthur said, hurt that Alfred was deliberately ignoring him. "Alright you troublemaker." Arthur said, picking up Alfred and standing him upright as he held onto him. "I'm going to let go now. I suggest you stop playing possum and be a big boy." Arthur said with a warning in his voice before letting go as he threatened. Alfred wobbled a bit before falling backwards onto the floor before Arthur could catch him.

"Goodness lad!" Arthur said as he picked Alfred up, running a hand over the back of his head to check to see if he'd had a lump forming. "Alfred?" He asked again as he cradled the boy to him, a little more difficult for Arthur now that he was larger than toddler size. When Alfred continued to be unresponsive, Arthur began to feel panic welling up in his gut as he shook Alfred again until he remembered something from earlier. "You said your chest felt funny. Oh, and your skin feels clammy, lad. Alright, let's get you back on the bed and I'll get you settled." Arthur said, picking Alfred up again to place back onto the bed. Laying Alfred out, he gently rested his head on Alfred's chest. He waited and felt the panic turn to fear at not hearing anything for a moment until a faint _thump-thump…..thump-thump_ reached his ears. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding as he began to undress Alfred out of the layers of clothes he'd had on. "It's alright lad. I've got you. You'll be fine in no time." Arthur said as he took care of Alfred, the smaller personification occasionally twitching in response to Arthur's touches. It was when Alfred stopped twitching that Arthur felt the irrational need to check every other minute on his colony's breathing and heartbeat. Arthur lay beside him all night, holding him to himself as he eventually fell into a restless sleep.

"Arthur! Arthur!" Alfred's voice rang out, pulling Arthur from sleep as he noticed that it was morning. The older man immediately looked to the little body in his arms that he'd covered in numerous blankets and been keeping warm with his own body heat once he noticed how cold Alfred seemed to be. But his face fell at seeing Alfred still asleep and he let his head drop back to the pillow in disappointment. "Arthur, come on! You promised you'd do things with me!" He heard Alfred say again, turning his head to look curiously at the other in case Alfred had somehow learned to throw his voice while Arthur was away. But Alfred remained just as still, Arthur letting go and sitting up in confusion. "Arthur…" An impatient voice said that sounded exactly like Alfred's said from the doorway, Arthur looking over to see another version of Alfred standing there with a smile on his face before giggling at the surprised look on the other personification's face.

"A-Alfred?" Arthur asked with fear in his voice as he looked back over to the boy in the bed beside him. Another giggle drew his attention back over to the one by the doorway.

"Of course it's me, silly Britain!" Alfred said, walking into the room to head over to Arthur. "Who else would it be? Oh, I've been travelling everywhere and all I have to do is think real hard on it – I visited with Mattie but I think I may have scared him. So I thought I'd better come and spend some time with you and we can do what we we're gonna do yesterday now that you must've finished all your work. And my chest doesn't bother me anymore and neither does my head after all that sneezing." He said with a beaming smile to Arthur as he rambled, bouncing around in front of the other man. "I'll meet you in the kitchen Arthur!" He said before taking off and disappearing before reaching the doorway, leaving Arthur to gape after him before he looked over to Alfred in the bed next to him. With shaking hands at the thought that he'd seen a ghost like his brother claimed to see, he slowly pulled the covers off of Alfred and gently rested his head against the small chest. He felt tears welling up as he was met with silence for a moment before hearing a slow beat that encouraged Arthur to hold Alfred tightly. He replaced the blankets and headed to the kitchen slowly, unsure of what to do with the unexpected situation. Walking into the room he saw Alfred sitting on the floor in the middle of the room.

"There you are Iggy! It took ya' forever to catch up with me…" He said, standing up. "I kept fallin' off the chairs so I figured I'd just sit on the floor until you came. Can you make something? You promised you would…" Alfred said before shrugging. "I mean, you don't have to 'cuz I'm not really hungry but you probably are – I must've had too much to eat yesterday. Was it yesterday? I kinda lost track of time…" He said as he looked up to his caretaker, Arthur kneeling to be eye-level with his colony.

"A-Alfred, what's the last thing you remember?" Arthur asked carefully as he tried not to alarm the younger personification. "Can you tell me what happened after you came to me?"

Alfred shrugged as he bit his bottom lip in thought. "Well, my chest felt really funny and everything was spinnin' around. I thought I wasn't gonna make it back home to you but you were busy so I thought maybe I should go to sleep to feel better." Alfred said, guilt eating away at Arthur as his colony described what happened to him. "Then I woke up in my field where I met you and nothing hurt anymore, but I wanted to still see you so I waited for a little while. But I got bored since I didn't actually tell you where I'd gone and so you wouldn't know to come for me, so I decided to explore for a little bit and then I thought of Mattie when I was running past some maple trees and then poof!" He said with a dramatic gesture of his arms as he threw them out to his sides and his eyes were wide. "I was standing next to Mattie as he was washing his polar bear. Boy did he jump when I said his name…"He said, holding his middle as he laughed in remembrance. "We did some stuff together, but Iggy…I can't touch anything no more. I'm…I'm a little scared and I told Mattie and he said I should ask you for help. Can you?" Alfred said, head cocked to the side and cowlick waving a little from the motion. Before Arthur could answer, Alfred tried to hug him and passed right through him, making Arthur shiver as he did. "I-Iggy…." Alfred said, warning signs going off in Arthur's mind that the little boy was about to burst into tears. Sure enough, as he turned around he saw this other version of Alfred sitting on the floor bawling his eyes out.

"Alright, lad, it's alright." Arthur said, reaching out before remembering that he wouldn't be able to physically comfort Alfred. "We'll figure out what's going on."

"I'm I dying?" Alfred timidly asked around a sniffle, Arthur's eyes going wide as he tried not to voice his own fears over that being exactly the case. Instead he simply shook his head to encourage Alfred to calm down. "Are you sure? I felt great when I woke up in the meadow and I don't hurt anymore, but I just wanna rest. But I can't remember where I went to sleep and I'm a little cold." Alfred said, Arthur gasping as he listened.

"Come with me America." Arthur said firmly, hoping to get the other to snap to attention and not drift off to wherever his mind decided to take him. "Be quick but don't let me out of your sight. As long as you can see me, you'll be back where you need to be, alright?" He said, Alfred nodding and getting to his feet. Arthur stood as well, the two of them slowly making their way back to Arthur's bedroom so that Arthur could be sure this other Alfred could be sure to follow him. He guided Alfred's other self over to the bedside before remembering that he wouldn't be able to climb onto the bed. Instructing him to wait, he grabbed the bundled up body on the bed, checking once more for breath in the boy's body as he lowered Alfred off his slightly higher bed than the American personification's own bed. The other Alfred gasped and his eyes went wide as he looked at himself in Arthur's arms.

"You are cold Alfred, but I'm here. I'm here for you, but you need to…to go back to sleep." Arthur said, not entirely sure how to help the split personification become one again, but he knew that making sure Alfred felt safe would be the first step. "Come here America. Reach out…" He said, but he could see the fear in the other Alfred's eyes as he continued to look at himself.

"I-I'm a ghost!" Alfred exclaimed, jumping back a little before more tears made their way down his face. Arthur made several shushing noises to calm Alfred, desperate for the other Alfred to not dart off in a blind panic.

"No. No you're not. You've just…did you try to do any of my magic spells? I won't be mad if you just tell me." He said, knowing he'd definitely be mad after he was done being worried. But Alfred shook his head before gasping.

"I took some medicine from the tribe down the river. It was supposed to cleanse everything out of my body so I could feel better." Alfred practically shouted. "I didn't think it would cleanse _me_ out of my body!" He said, panic welling up on his face.

"Alright. We'll figure this out but you need to try and go back to sleep. And you'll wake up in my arms. I promise, I'm not letting go until you do." Arthur said, holding Alfred's body close to him. "But you need to be quick. Try reaching out and close your eyes. Just focus on my voice, alright love? I'll keep talking and it'll be just like I'm telling you a bedtime story. I left off in the middle of one last time, didn't I? How about I keep going, hmm?" Arthur said as Alfred came back over to him and did as he said, continuing to talk softly as his colony tried to pull himself back together. Arthur hadn't said very much before he watched the other Alfred appear to fall forward only to disappear.

"Alfred?" Arthur called out, wondering if he'd gone somewhere else as his mind wandered. He picked up the little body in his arms, noticing how Alfred seemed warmer than before. He continued to sit on the floor with Alfred in his arms until he heard a groan. Looking down, he saw Alfred's eyes flutter until those sky-blue eyes of his locked onto his emerald green ones. Arthur felt a smile stretch across his face as he pulled Alfred to his chest, the little boy wrapping his arms around his caretaker as best he could as they hugged.

"I'm sorry Iggy. I thought it was good medicine." Alfred mumbled into Arthur's chest as they continued to sit on the floor. Arthur rubbed a hand up and down Alfred's back, murmuring comforting words to the boy before he felt like he was strong enough to pick him up. Carrying Alfred into their sitting room, he continued to hold onto Alfred as the other boy clung to him.

"It's alright Alfred. It's all over and I'm here. I'm here." Arthur said, hugging the boy once more. "I'm sorry I was so busy I couldn't listen to you. And I'll make it up to you once you've rested up nicely." He said, Alfred pulling away to look up at him. The smile he'd given Arthur was one of pure adoration as Arthur comforted him and made all sorts of promises in return for Alfred making sure to always voice to Arthur his concerns. It was that request that Alfred would adhere to and use later on in his development to voice where he believed his caretaker to be ignoring his concerns again.

* * *

Arthur sighed as he finished recounting that troublesome encounter to Francis, the other nation sitting quietly as he listened. He leaned back in his chair and expected to hear something from Francis when a voice from behind him startled him.

"So _that's_ what that was all about." Matthew said as he lay on his side. At some point he must've clued into the conversation and Arthur and Francis hadn't been aware. Not that Matthew was surprised that they wouldn't have noticed him like usual, but they were certain he'd been asleep. But apparently he'd only been dozing and had followed Arthur's story. "I was wondering about that for a while. I thought I'd just had some spoiled food or something. Alfred had just popped up while I was trying to get some sap out of Kuma's coat and we talked for a couple of hours before he was just gone again." Matthew said with a laugh.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Arthur asked as he turned to face the Canadian. Matthew shrugged in response. "You never brought it up and I wasn't going to make myself sound that lonely, eh?" Matthew said, looking up from behind the bangs that had fallen into his face. Arthur sighed at that and got up to sit beside Matthew as he gently placed a hand on the North American's shoulder.

"You can always call us if you're looking for some company Matthew. Francis is almost always willing to make himself available – you just need to be careful with _how_ available." He teased, Francis winking at Matthew and gaining a snicker as though he was a tiny boy again. "Goodness knows we wouldn't want you to become like Ivan in your Great White North." Arthur said, Matthew shifting a little to face the two other awake nations.

"Mes amis, that sounds an awful lot like what is happening right now." Francis said, gaining the others' attention. "Perhaps all you need do is what you did then. You cannot see the journey this time, and who knows why you could the last time, but perhaps you and Matthew can call him back again." Francis suggested. "It's probably safer than more of your hocus pocus there." He finished with a wave of his hand as he gestured to the spell book in Arthur's lap.

Arthur scowled at Francis but Matthew tugged on Arthur's sleeve to get his attention. "Maybe you should hold him like I was holding him earlier, eh? Maybe just on the other side so there's no worry. America's drifting and needs something or someone to find his footing." Matthew said, causing Arthur to sigh again as he looked to Matthew. Seeing the genuine desire to help, he gave him a tight smile before getting up and walking over to Alfred. He looked over how covered the other man was and gingerly sat beside him like he'd done before, hesitant to be so open and feeling vulnerable and exposed as Matthew and Francis watched his movements.

"Mon dieu mon ami…" Francis said with a huff. "Doesn't that look awkward? You look like that's hurting you. Just hug the boy." Francis said getting up and demonstrating with Matthew, who stiffened under the unexpected embrace before just giving up and letting Francis hold him. Although, he did keep an eye on where the other placed his notoriously wandering hands.

"Yes, thank you Francis. But I do know how to embrace another person." Arthur said, shooting a sympathetic look to Matthew as Francis continued to hold him. "Despite what you may think, the British are just as loving and tender as the French – we simply prefer to leave that for more appropriate settings." He said, earning another eye roll from Francis as the Frenchman hugged Matthew tighter and buried his face in the boy's hair as he gently tickled him, aware that he could make the other feel queasy again if he went too far. Matthew yawned and Francis let him lay back down, whispering in French to him until it seemed like Matthew was dozing again.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you have your moments where you're almost paternalistic Francis." Arthur said, Francis shooting him a genuine smile at the compliment. "But the other moments ruin it I'm afraid. Only Feliciano doesn't seem to notice." He said, Francis shaking his head with the smile still plastered to his face.

"Feliciano just understands better than you, that is all there is to that conundrum puzzling you." Francis said as he continued to sit beside Matthew with a hand on the other boy's back continuing to rub up and down in a soothing manner. Matthew sighed in his sleep, looking at ease.

"You're good with Matthew." Arthur mumbled aloud before he could stop himself, looking over to Francis with a rare apology on his face and no desire to start another argument. But Francis gave a tiny nod without saying anything as he looked at Matthew. Before Arthur knew it, there was silence filled only by the television in the background and the continuous beeping in time with Alfred's heartbeat. Arthur shifted a little to be more comfortable and to be able to whisper into Alfred's ear without fear of Francis overhearing what he needed to say to the American.


	22. Chapter 22

The beeping wouldn't stop and Alfred was getting really annoyed with that alarm sounding through the passage he was following. He'd begun to suspect that there was something else coming after him and just waiting behind every corner, putting him on edge and it was eerie how the alarm would blare more frequently when he felt himself getting more scared or if he'd had to exert himself for some reason. It made him feel like whatever else was in there with him was tracking his every movement and he wanted it to stop. It was unsettlingly like a case of déjà vu with having to run from some alien-looking monster that kept to the shadows. He'd briefly encountered a shadow that looked humanoid, but his friendship with Tony had him still on guard with that observation.

Hissing and more fog from some malfunctioning equipment seemed to keep the corridors partly obscured and even his trusty Texas wasn't giving him an edge, making him clutch his gun tighter as he stealthily made his way onward. He felt like the corridors were getting tighter in this direction, making it feel to him like his air was being cut off. He thought he might need to find the control center for such details, guessing that there always was one on spaceships in his games, even if they came with creepy and belligerent AI systems. But that's what his pistol was for so long as the ammunition could penetrate the thick metal and he didn't come across whatever was following him.

He came across another wheel panel and realized he'd reached another door. He gripped it as best he could with his gun still in his hand, pushing the door open tentatively. He braced for something to come at him but when it seemed he was in the clear, he stepped inside the room and breathed a sigh of relief at having entered a larger space. Although, it wasn't much warmer than the other corridors he'd been in and he was really worried about the cold – no heat in space, he figured - and reasoned that was another justification for finding the control room. He shivered and he could see his breath coming out in puffs in the cold room as he walked forwards. He was only a few steps in when he heard the door he'd closed creak open, spinning around and firing off a couple of rounds before he sprinted off to reach where the room's other door might be, jumping over things that looked like they'd fallen over when the spaceship stalled or something. He could hear the alarm start going faster and he nearly growled as it seemed to give away what he was doing, the thought passing through his mind that he'd been given some sort of implant as he ran.

Alfred ran through the next door, slamming it shut and spinning the wheel a few times before continuing his sprint until he reached another door that he hastily opened to reveal a staircase. He huffed as he tried to catch his breath, mumbling about how _'of course there would be a staircase 'cuz I'm not out of breath enough already'_ as he climbed as quickly as he could. He'd almost reached the top of the staircase when he heard banging coming from below as the creature pursuing him followed him onto the staircase. He felt his heart jump in fear at being in such close quarters with that unknown thing, gripping the railing as the creature shook it. However, he found that rust could occur in space – or that the crew that decided to build the railing had been slacking off that day – as the metal gave way and he fell down into the blackness that he assumed eventually led to a floor of some sort. He braced for the hit and groaned loudly as he did, urging his body to get back up and find his gun.

But the creature didn't seem to need to fear a fall, jumping down with Alfred. Alfred unsteadily got to his feet as he fumbled around on the walls for something, his actions resulting in some of the lighting turning on and introducing him to his attacker. It was a humanoid thing, green with scales and what Alfred assumed were feelers on top of its eyes. He gasped as it approached him rapidly, lunging out of the way despite wanting to only take a break to calm his ragged breathing. But as he tried to pick himself up, he felt the creature grasp onto his leg and pull him back towards him. He waited until he was close enough to turn around and land a solid kick to the thing's torso before making another attempt to get away, spotting his gun conveniently by another door. He ran over to it but was tackled from behind and he struggled with the creature to escape its grip.

"Can't hide the heart" The creature said, a roughness to the voice that caused Alfred to nearly whimper in fright as it seemed to lower its head towards Alfred's chest. Out of desperation, Alfred really hoped that aliens of this variety had as sensitive of vital regions as humans as he kneed the creature between the legs. He felt satisfied at hearing the grunt of pain before wriggling an arm out of his loosened hold and landing a punch to the creature's head as he broke free and grabbed his gun, slamming the door shut and locking it tightly. He walked forward again at a much slower pace, his lungs aching as he tried to take a deep breath and he could feel every beat of his heart down to his feet from that race and wrestling match with the alien. He found another room that looked like it had only one way in and out and closed himself off in that before sliding to the ground and laying out as he continued to pant. He could hear the quick frequency of the beeps in the alarm and he tried to calm himself down to get it back to the usual tempo, unsettled by how much his theory was playing out that he'd had some sort of monitor implanted in him as the alarm continued to match his heartrate. That and the fact that the creature seemed to be able to track him by it and had some desire to probably eat Alfred or anything equally disturbing. Plus the temperature was making it harder to concentrate as things got colder and Alfred closed his eyes briefly. Opening them again, his heart jumped at the sight of the reaper he'd spoken with at the hospital staring back at him.

"What…How…What are you doing here in space? I thought you were, you know, an earth-bound thing?" He whimpered as he tried to get out from underneath where the reaper was hovering over him. He was terrified now, both alien monsters and ghosts coming after him was the worst possible nightmarish combination for him. He mind reached out for other possibilities that he was stuck in some dream and if he died in the dream then he would wake up. But he also considered that this could be like those Freddy Kruger movies and if he died in the dream, he died for real – that and if it _was_ reality, dead was dead. Out of those three options, he wasn't too happy with his choices, especially since the ghost continued to hover closer and closer. Alfred reached the wall and slowly sat up. "C'mon man. Say something." He said, the reaper too close to his face for comfort but he was too scared to try and move his head to the side. His breath was coming out in quick pants as he tried not to start his usual response to scary movies, eyes going wide when the reaper reached out and laid a hand over his heart. He heard the alarm's frequency sound incredibly fast to him before he realized that it was him.

"You've not taken care." The reaper whispered to him as Alfred stared back at him. Alfred could feel the cold getting to him, especially from the cold touch of the reaper. "Not paying attention." He said, his bony fingers gripping the shirt over Alfred's chest.

"It's the hamburgers and milkshakes Arthur's always talking about, isn't it?" Alfred whimpered, breathlessly laughing. "Oh come on man, I eat plenty of healthy stuff too – whole organic craze been goin' on for a while now. There's ain't a thing wrong with my ticker…right?" He sighed, feeling the chill getting to him. He blinked a couple of times when the reaper removed its hand, drifting back from him. "Right?" He asked again, clutching at his chest.

"Hear the voice and find the warmth." The reaper said before disappearing into the dark, leaving Alfred panting and trying to figure out the warning or advice that had been imparted to him. He let his head lean back against the wall as he tried to calm himself down, repeating the final statement before the reaper disappeared.

"Find the warmth? I'm tryin' to find it. It's damn cold in here." Alfred said aloud to himself. "How am I supposed to do that with a _voice_? Is it that AI system, 'cuz reaper, I'm doin' my best to find it. I ain't Germany. I haven't read the manual on how this is supposed to work, ya know." He repeated, breathing finally back to normal as he began to rub at his sore shoulder that he'd landed on when he fell off the staircase. "Oh come on…" He repeated. "I got lots of other stuff back home to, you know, get _back_ to. America's always got things to do and who else is gonna be the hero?" He said, letting his eyes rest for a moment in the relative safety of the locked room. He could hear the alarm continuing but at a slower frequency except for when the bangs of the creature with whom he was sharing this spaceship would randomly begin again and startle him.

"Hear the voice, huh? Well who's talkin'?" He called out once more before groaning and curling up on the floor, his gun clutched in his hand. He felt himself relaxing a little bit as he strained to hear anything over the noises of the spaceship and the alarm continuously going off. About to give up with the whole ridiculous idea when he heard what he could only believe were the sounds of other people talking. "No way…" He mumbled as he sat back up, focusing as much as he could at hearing those voices.

Alfred could make out different tones, guessing that he was hearing more than one person having a conversation. "Hey! Hey!" He shouted, standing up and waving his arms around. "I'm in here. You guys, wherever you are, I can hear you. You must be able to pick up on me with something…some monitor or a heat signature or something wherever you are. It's just not workin' on this end…Hello?…" he shouted upwards, but not even his own voice echoed back to him. In his panic, he heard the voices drifting away. "No, no, no…" He muttered, sitting back down to try and concentrate on them again.

"He's not so tense right now. That's a good thing." He heard one voice say, Alfred tilting his head to the side as he tried to distinguish the familiarity. He gasped as his eyes flew open, shouting gleefully. "Matt! Matt, you're okay! Iggy must've gotten to ya!" He said, feeling joy run through him as he realized his brother was at least wherever the voices where coming from and therefore must be in a safer area than wherever he was currently. "Oh, Matt, keep talkin' bro." He said with another laugh as he heard his brother's voice even though he couldn't make out all the words. "I don't care if it's even in the gibberish you call French-Canadian, I'm so glad you're out." He said, looking up in the hopes that whatever monitor he was on, his brother would know he was happy to hear from him. "I knew Arthur'd be able to get you safe. He can come in handy sometimes I guess…ha, ha….He and this big ugly alien could face off. I mean literally bro, you should see the whiskers on this dude's face. Kinda reminds me of old Artie himself…and he's green too…Oh my God!" Alfred said, standing up as he had this epiphany. "That's…Oh my God! The reaper wasn't talking about me, but Arthur….I knew there was nothin' wrong with my heart. I'm as healthy as an ox, well, except for those headaches or those other times…never mind. Oh why am I still talking to you, you aren't even here, are you?" He asked again, listening for an answer despite not really expecting to hear one. "Hiding the heart, finding the warmth in the voice…this is a nightmare I built like all those others but it's _Arthur's_ fears that are the main players. I built the video game playground, but he's put the characters in, with my twist on them….I knew he liked the American touch…" Alfred said with a smirk before becoming aware that this was turning into one of those dreams where the dreamer is aware of dreaming, but still can't pull himself out. He growled in frustration as he walked back over to the wall and sat back down again.

"Okay, so, all I gotta do is hope Arthur wants to talk to me at some point. Then I can…what can I do?" He said, running his hands through his hair as he thought up a plan. "I can, I dunno, make rainbows and unicorns to cheer up that creepy Arthur-lizard-alien…"He sarcastically said as he dropped his head into his hands. "Come on…Matt, Artie, reaper dude…hell, Francis, give me something to work with here!" He shouted before quieting. He took a deep breath to try and clear his thoughts, finding it amusing that he should do so within his own mind – except that maybe he was sharing something with Arthur and this was his body's way off trying to keep out any intruder.

Staying quiet, he could hear the alarm start to drop and the voices become slightly louder. He shook his head at the absurdity that became apparent to him if he wanted to hear those voices again. Concentrating on what China and Japan had tried to impart to him during one of those extended world conferences that included workshops to promote better awareness and talking. He'd accidentally signed up for a meditation workshop, which turned more into naptime than actual meditating. Although the other nations in the room hadn't bothered to wake him up until after the workshop, Alfred thinking they'd just been really nice to let him sleep after he'd been kind of enough to share some of the newer songs he'd downloaded from the top American musicians. He took another deep breath and tried to recall what India had said when he'd sat beside the other nation and the other personification had offered additional advice to Alfred. He did everything he could remember, pleasantly surprised when he found the alarm dropping low enough that he could start to make out the voice he desperately needed to hear.

* * *

Francis was standing out in the hallway as he said goodbye to Antonio and Gilbert after their promised visit, spreading along information from the meeting to Arthur courtesy of a large stack of papers compiled by Ludwig. Of course, an alcoholic beverage had also been smuggled into the hospital by Gilbert, although he hadn't been too thrilled with the option since he'd been too drunk the night before to realize that Romano had made the choice for him. Francis told the two of them that wine was hardly a consolation prize and the group had been somewhat less stressed during the visit. Matthew had been more or less fully recovered from the nausea, but the migraine was keeping him in the bed, although he did try to argue that he needed to help take care of his brother. It was a short argument however, since the Canadian was aware that he'd be closer to and with his brother around the clock if he remained where he was. Visiting hours were nearing their end anyway and Matthew wasn't sure if Arthur and Francis would be able to persuade the hospital staff to stay overnight again, even with pulling their status as personifications. Shortly after Antonio and Gilbert had left, Francis suggested to Arthur that they too head back to the hotel, assuming that their things were still untouched given that the conference was technically over.

"No. I usually book an extra day as a precaution and I know Alfred does since he usually oversleeps on the last day and misses what should be checkout time." Arthur said as he stood beside Alfred's bed again. "I'm willing to bet that the hotel staff are painfully aware of our predicament and most likely haven't touched your rooms either." He said, Francis shrugging but urging him to head out nevertheless. Arthur nodded and leaned over to give Alfred as close as a hug as he could manage before heading over to do the same with Matthew.

"I'll call you both later, eh? Don't want you to worry. I'll be keeping a watch on him." Matthew said as he hugged Francis goodbye too.

"As much as we'd appreciate it, you should rest too." Francis said as he patted the top of Matthew's head affectionately as he said his goodbyes. With the two of them gone, Matthew felt very anxious on his own, looking over to watch his brother continue sleeping like he'd been all day. There were times when Alfred seemed to be more agitated than others, but the doctors had said it seemed like they were able to get his body more hydrated again without resorting to dialysis. Matthew closed his eyes in an attempt to ease his headache as time wore on, trying to get himself to sleep again despite having napped most of the day. Suddenly he heard the monitor beside his brother start to pick up and he sat up abruptly to look over his brother. He called out to him as it seemed like his brother was getting more and more distressed, resorting to hitting his call button for help. When the nurse came walking in minutes later all he had to do was point over to his brother and she immediately called out for another nurse before dashing over to his bedside.

"What's wrong with him?" Matthew couldn't help but ask the woman as she took measure of the readings on the monitor.

"I'm not completely sure at the moment, dear. We'll get your brother back to relaxing in no time, but we need to lower his heartrate. This isn't a safe speed with him like this." She said, Matthew's face paling and causing him to feel nauseous again for an entirely different reason. If what she said was true, then the fact that his brother's heart continued to race faster only made him more anxious as another nurse came in with a doctor. Matthew wanted to keep asking what was going on, but as the doctor administered something else, it seemed like Alfred was relaxing again. "He's not so tense right now. That's a good thing." Matthew said as the doctor and nurse left, the male nurse remaining behind to adjust a few things. But there was also a questioning tone to Matthew's voice and the man was able to pick up on it. He shot Matthew a sympathetic smile before looking back to the monitor.

"You're his brother, right?" The man asked, just to be sure. Receiving a nod he looked to be considering whether or not to tell Matthew anything while the Canadian was also convalescing. But at Matthew's pleading look he sighed and looked out into the hallway before he continued, "To go from resting heart rate to that speed so quickly typically is not a good sign. The medicine the doctor gave him slows his heartrate, but as you can see, it's dropped below what's recorded as his resting heart rate. It could mean nothing except he's a little sensitive to the medication and we'll know that in a little while. But try not to worry too much about that. His oxygen level is doing much better and we should be able to take off the mask so long as he doesn't have another panic attack." He said, Matthew nodding in response at a his lack of ability to form words at that news. He waited until the nurse left before climbing out of bed to stand beside his brother, squeezing his hand tightly as he urged his brother to keep fighting. He stayed where he was for a while, until one of the nurses returned to check on Alfred and pushed Matthew back into his bed. Overwhelmed, Matthew fell asleep not too long after he'd been settled into bed again with the nurse commenting on how pale he looked still as she looked him over and pulled the covers up around him.

Matthew woke up again around seven, knowing that Arthur and Francis would likely be up to visit as soon as possible. He yawned and looked over to see his brother with his oxygen mask off, smiling to himself that his brother was doing better. He let his eyes close again and was surprised when it seemed like in the next moment he felt a hand running through his hair as he was met with the sight of Francis smiling down at him. "Bonjour mon petit. Are you feeling better?" Francis asked as Matthew rubbed his face again to wake up, sitting up to face the Frenchman while sleepily nodding.

"Oh! Arthur! I forgot to call after…" Matthew said as he looked over to the Englishman hovering nearby Alfred. "Last night, oh it was horrible!" He said, Arthur's face taking on a confused yet anxious expression as he let go of Alfred's hand to walk over to Matthew as the other North American twin recounted what had happened. "But his mask is off so he must be making progress, right?" Matthew finished in a tone that practically pleaded with the others to agree with him. Francis nodded in encouragement and spoke to him comfortingly in French, while Arthur numbly nodded before heading back to his seat.

"And more good news, mon ami, is that if you really are feeling as better as you say and not pulling a move worthy of your brother again…." Francis began, Matthew looking a little sheepish as he recalled lying to the doctors about feeling completely better so he could find his brother's room. "…Then you shouldn't have to sit in that bed anymore. I brought you clothes and perhaps you and I can go for a walk to help you feel refreshed, hmm?" Francis suggested and earning a smile from Matthew in response. With that plan agreed on, Matthew was up and out of the room with Francis to watch over him, just in case, as Arthur had asked. It gave him a chance to try one more time to get through to Alfred before he lost the other personification. Based on what had already been happening and what Matthew had just told him, Alfred was still in danger physically and mentally because of this curse. He should have known that reciting an Old English variant of an Old Welsh translation of Nordic runes would leave something lost in translation. He'd have to find the time to review some of those less used curses once he'd gone through the stack Ludwig had given to him, although he was fairly certain that the other man had made it larger than necessary for him.

"Hello America." Arthur said as he sat beside Alfred's sleeping form. "I…I thought it could just be you and me for a little while, hmm? I said it before and I'll say it again, I am sorry that you're in this position. But don't expect me to say it again to your face once you're awake, you bloody fool." He said with a fond smile, feeling as though it was difficult to keep it on his face when Alfred continued to be unresponsive. "You know, the last time one of his was this bad off, it was me. I think I could handle it much better if our positions were not reversed this time." He said, not sure where to go with his conversation. He'd only come to the idea that he needed to just keep talking to Alfred to guide him back to himself based on something Francis had said to him, and as he tried to carry it out, he found himself getting embarrassed.

"Alfred, you know I'm very good with words but you do make picking the right ones difficult at times. Not that I don't have a plethora of choice insults set aside for you when you deserve them, you git." He said with a laugh, holding Alfred's hand. "I suppose you must be able to hear me somehow. I've been able to get through that thick head of yours a couple of times at least – I'm thinking that must be a record for me." He said with a bit of sarcasm as he attempted to make this one-sided conversation not seem so awkward if he could pretend the other personification wasn't in a coma-like state and was just his usual, unobservant self. "I do still worry about you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't you know. And I am aware that you do pay attention to what's going on from time to time with me as well, although it took you bloody long enough to come out of your isolationist front when I needed you the most." He said with a shake of his head. "You were particularly stubborn then, but you did come through and have been since you decided to be the world's hero and not just your own continent's hero. It's annoying as hell at times but endearing too." He said, deciding to do as Francis suggested yesterday. "Don't go getting any ridiculous ideas in that spacey mind of yours, but I'm going to…I'm going to hug you and just like when you were little, I'll be here when you wake up. Alright, Alfred? Just don't take your sweet time with things this time when I need you." He said, gathering up the other man into his arms as best he could as he sat beside him, resting his head on top of Alfred's. Arthur could feel his face flushing, but decided that if this could break the curse, then he'd find a way to circumvent those inevitable teases sure to come from Alfred and Francis.


	23. Chapter 23

Alfred continued to sit still as he strained to hear the voices that occasionally drifted over him. For a while he could make out some of what Matthew was saying and he clung to that with all his will until Matthew's voice disappeared. He'd panicked at that and desperately tried to hear him again before thinking that his brother might not be talking to him anymore. He tried not to dwell on the lingering fear that Matthew had given up on him or that his previous nightmares about his brother turning away from him were coming true. He got up the courage to go back out into the corridor to continue to try and find something that might lead him to getting himself back together again. He'd been walking for a while and was wondering if it was possible to sleep within a dream when he heard the creature following him. Out of habit, he took off again in a sprint until he heard another voice. He fitted himself into a tight-fit area to hide to try and concentrate on finding that voice over the alarm. After a few moments, his face lit up as he realized Arthur was talking to him.

"Arthur! Iggy!" Alfred whispered with a smile on his face as he listened to the kind words the other was directing to him. Well, with the occasional slight or reprimand, but he'd come to expect that from his former caretaker. He'd been so caught up in listening to the voice that he completely forgot about the creature following him, especially once he felt a warmth surrounding him. "I found it, reaper. I found the warmth." He said, closing his eyes as he reveled in the comfort of the warmth that was enveloping him until he felt the creature's talons scrape over his jacket.

His eyes flew open and he scrambled back as far as he could, breathing heavily as he struggled through the narrow space to get away. The creature followed his movements, prompting Alfred to let out a few of his favorite swear words as he took off again, hearing the creature following his every move. He raced as fast as he could to find some safe haven, the alarm blaring around him as he ran terrified. Figuring out that the creature was some thought tormenting Arthur was one thing, and facing off against him was another. He tried to catch his breath but as he stopped, the creature surprised him from the side and tackled him to the ground again.

Alfred struggled as the creature held him, trying to run through any possibilities of how to handle the situation. He thought about kicking it again, but that would only be a temporary fix to a problem that needed to be solved permanently and quickly. He could hear Arthur's voice faintly calling to him before he had an idea. "Okay, lizard-Arthur, you didn't want to hide. So don't." He said, the creature stilling a little as it focused on him. "This…This isn't some claustrophobic's nightmare spaceship….it's….it's set up like my treehouse I built with you over that once summer. I made it special for you to come sit in with me, but I was still smaller than you at the time and that's….that's why you don't fit in here. And it's outside…so…it's not so cold. Nothing has to be cold, dude." Alfred said as he felt the grip on him loosen and saw how the dark metal surroundings become hazy as they became the wooden floors and walls of his old treehouse he'd spent an entire summer building for when his caretaker would return to put the finishing touches on. Things became brighter as if outside on a summer day. And although he was still frightened and could feel his heart pounding, he continued to talk.

"And…I know lizards are cold-blooded and all so since I found some warmth, I'll share. C'mon, Arthur and I used to be so close and with everything that's happened since then, I can share some of that warmth." He said, overcoming his reluctance to wrap his arms around the lizard. He felt the creature embrace him back and Alfred briefly reconsidered this as a very bad idea as he struggled to keep from having a panic attack. He shut his eyes and bit his lip to keep from whimpering, only opening them once he felt a very human hand on the back of his head. Pulling back he saw Arthur looking back at him with a kind smile and eyes that held an enormous amount of warmth in them. Alfred sighed and pulled this pseudo-Arthur to him as the other gently rocked him. Alfred felt himself relaxing into the embrace and feeling as though he could finally take a real rest.

With that sense of ease, he found that this pseudo-Arthur was incredibly soft like an actual pillow, and then he could hear voices again. He thought about what had just happened, only to have a hard time recalling anything as he just felt tired. He could hear beeping again, but in his semi-conscious state, he opted to try and ignore it and go back to sleep.

"I'm sorry sir, but there's nothing more we can do at this point. Since he's had another attack, it's a sign that his body is shutting down and treatments are only palliative. Even with dialysis, he's still going to deteriorate unless he somehow comes into consciousness within the next twenty-four hours." He heard a British-sounding voice say, wondering if he'd left the television on to some soap opera. He'd be so ashamed if one of the other personifications came to visit and found him passed out on the couch with a cheesy chick-flick type show on.

"But it was short-lived. He seemed to recover almost as soon as I spoke to him." Alfred heard another British voice say, although that one sounded far more familiar. "Please, doctor…there's got to be something." He heard the second voice say only to get a mumbled response returned. Alfred figured that his cat must've stepped on the remote at that point to have lowered the volume and decided to let his mind drift off again. At least that was the plan until he felt someone embracing him.

"Wake up Alfred." He heard the second voice say, getting that odd feeling that he might not be listening to a television show. Then again, Alfred was a common enough name and he did like to wrap himself up in enough blankets to make it seem like he was snuggling with a buddy.

"Arthur, is everything alright?" Alfred heard another voice ask, this one definitely not British and making him think of hockey and pancakes. "Francis and I saw some doctors leaving and…and…" He heard this voice say, feeling a tingle running down his spine at the names being tossed around.

"No…Matthew, I'm so sorry." He heard the British voice say, sounding more emotional than he would've thought. "He had another and this time…the doctors don't think he's going to pull through." He heard the British man say, feeling the hold around him tighten and another weight reach his left hand as someone else seemed to come to him.

"No…that…that's not right." The not-British voice said as Alfred felt his hand being squeezed. "That's not like Alfred to go down without a fight. He always finds a way to bounce back." He heard the voice say, listening as someone else spoke in French on his other side as though talking to the last voice's owner. With that, Alfred felt as though reality literally crashed into him and he jerked to try and get some feeling into his lead-like limbs. He heard the alarm, or as he belatedly realized it was a monitor, going off as he struggled to let the others know to not give up on him as well.

"Alfie! Oh, Alfie…" He heard Matthew say as his brother continued to hold his hand. "Please…not now." He heard his brother say as he tried to get in a deep breath through his nose only to find that there was something stuck in it. In a panic he tried to turn his head to the side despite the exhaustion, feeling the pressure on his hand disappear and the hold around his shoulders leave him.

"He waited for you to come back, mon ami. He waited for you to be here." He heard Francis trying to whisper to Matthew as it sounded like his brother was crying. He tried to open his mouth to call out but the voices became mumbles as he realized that his makeshift 'family' was being ushered out by nurses. For one final action as he felt his energy diminishing, he managed to pry open his eyes and found that the nurses were still in the doorway arguing with his brother as the three men tried to come back into the room. He attempted to sit up, only for the room to tilt and he desperately pulled at whatever was on him as though that would help. Instead, he was only rewarded with an irritatingly shrill monotone as he flopped back onto the bed exhausted.

"Alfred!" He heard Arthur call out before he heard what must've been the door slamming shut to keep his brother and other two personifications out. He began to doze and felt rather than heard anything else as hands moved over him. He figured that they'd figure out what had happened and explain everything so that he could rest up and have a do-over for his dramatic awakening. But for now, he just felt too tired physically, and surprisingly, emotionally. Eventually he could feel his body relax more and he could finally take breaths comfortably now that he wasn't panicking, listening for when Matthew at least would be allowed back in to see him. He opened his eyes a fraction to try and get some bearing on things, watching as the nurse and doctor in the room grumbled over some damage he'd apparently caused. The monotone noise from the monitor was shut off as they rearranged things and he suddenly felt like laughing at the embarrassment he felt at having broken something else. At this rate, he thought he wouldn't be able to set foot in this hospital for a while. He hadn't realized he'd shut his eyes until he felt gentle yet nimble hands reattaching something on his chest and the monitor was turned back on to work properly. One of the two people in the room said something as Alfred heard the monitor's tone not sounding quite right. Apparently they'd had enough of him breaking things since Alfred heard it not making any more noise before he felt a blanket pulled up more on his chest. He cracked open his eyes again, determined to last longer this time, but there wasn't anyone in the room. He sighed and let his eyes drift shut as he waited for someone to come back in, although he guessed the staff probably were trying to keep their path clear between Alfred's room and wherever they'd gone. He smiled at the humor in his situation even though he wasn't feeling great at the time.

Alfred shifted slightly to get more comfortable and was back to dozing when he heard the door open slowly as though the person was afraid of either waking him or getting caught. He only knew of two people who could manage that level of stealth and the scent of tea was the final clue that it was not Matthew.

"America…" He heard Arthur say, wondering what the other was going to say that was so important that he decided to put to use those spy skills of which he was so proud. "Alfred…I…I tried to do something, _anything_ for you. And now…bloody hell, I don't know what's supposed to happen now." Arthur said, Alfred starting to get concerned for the man he at least thought could called a friend if not have the other call him his family. He may have been caught in a bit of an issue when he'd filled him out as 'brother' on his old medical forms because of terminology, but he had been fantasizing about the idea that they could be 'brotherly' again, this time on a level with which Alfred was more comfortable and agreeable as nations; it had been one of his crazier ideas since the end of the world wars when he saw more of Arthur than he previously had and although he made a point to emphasize how very much he was not like Arthur, he had thought the fact that his people were so receptive to the 'British Invasion' had shown to the other personification that he was trying to be brotherly again. He'd continued to act that way even if Arthur had been less enthused about the familiarity that Alfred employed, grumbling but letting Alfred visit or spend the day doing what Arthur would inevitably call a waste of time. "I'm sorry Alfred. I didn't want _this_ to happen. I know your lands are strong enough to carry on until there's another soul of the country that has coalesced…I'll do my best but I know he or she just won't be _you_. So, as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, I…I'll…Until we meet again America." Arthur said, Alfred too stunned to move as he listened to what sounded like a farewell. The fact that it was for him was even more unsettling and he thought that he needed to say something but the next admission would have left him speechless even if he had responded. "And as Arthur Kirkland, goodbye Alfred…I love you brother." Arthur said, and Alfred heard him rushing away.

Alfred opened his eyes and made to call out, but Arthur was already gone and the door was swinging shut on its own. Alfred shook his head, trying to determine if all of that was part of his imagination as he contemplated what to do next. Thinking about how the monitor wasn't really doing much at this point, he pulled the remaining wires attached to him without worrying about anyone hearing his attempt to follow Arthur. He shakily stood and attempted to walk forward until he painfully realized the IV was still attached. Quickly pulling it out with a gasp he'd deny sounded girly, he slowly proceeded to head out into the hallway. Pulling open the door, he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light as he looked around. Spying Matthew in Francis' arms over by the lounge area at the end of the hall, he figured that Arthur would look for a more private room and so he pushed his body to move down the other direction quickly and without drawing any attention. Making it to the elevator, he tried to think about where Arthur might go if he was going to have a meltdown. Leaning against the wall, he knew that Arthur wouldn't leave Matthew and Francis completely and so must still be in the building. He looked to the panel that listed what was on each floor, noticing that this hospital also had a chapel and figured Arthur would hope to find solitude there. Especially since it was likely an Anglican chapel and Francis wouldn't force himself in there unless absolutely necessary in his perpetual irritation with Arthur's church.

He was panting by the time he reached the chapel, the elevator ride only a short reprieve. But luckily he'd only gotten a few odd looks from other visitors but no nurses yet as they must've assumed he was taking a walk. He took a deep breath as he found the chapel, barely larger than one of the larger rooms in the hospital. Sure enough, he found Arthur sitting in one of the chairs with his head bowed. Alfred imagined himself dramatically approaching him like the chapter in Tom Sawyer when Tom and Huck walk in on their own funeral mass. He imagined himself sitting confidently beside the other and having Arthur's eyes go wide as he pronounced how much he really did love Alfred before they would embrace and call each other brother again.

Unfortunately, Alfred found few things were as easy as they were in the movies as he tried to walk over to Arthur by using the chairs as support. His strength cracked the wooden back and he fell to the floor in a heap, Arthur's head whipping around in surprise and his face showing tear streaks on his cheeks.

"Alfred? Oh my…Alfred!" Arthur said as he got up and went to help the other personification up as Alfred groaned from the unexpected face-plant without having anyone break his fall this time. "How are you…you bastard!" Arthur shouted, smacking him on the head a few times.

"Ow, ow, ow…" Alfred complained, trying to fend off the assault. But Arthur continued to rant as he smacked Alfred. "You bloody, bloody, imbecilic, bastard. Twat. You git…" He continued with a few more terms Alfred wasn't sure of but could guess were more insults.

"Ugh….are you allowed to say all that in a chapel?" Alfred said during one of the pauses in Arthur's swings. "Dude, I was worried about you. I wake up and I don't know what's goin' on but there you are cryin' and I know somethin's up. And dude, you would not believe how hard it was to get here." Alfred said as he sat on the floor with Arthur, the British man panting almost as hard as Alfred. "I dunno where I was gonna go if you weren't here 'cuz I'm beat…." Alfred said with a sigh as he leaned against the seat of a chair. Arthur continued to look at him with tears in his eyes, although Alfred wasn't sure if they were from rage or sadness or whatever else Arthur kept bottled up. He was about to comment on it when he was surprised by Arthur pulling him to him and holding him.

"I should've known America would be the only one to find a way to pull a Lazarus stunt." Arthur said with a laugh, Alfred smiling as he returned the hug. Alfred didn't say anything as he let Arthur decide how long they were going to hug, not minding at all that it was much longer than usual. "C'mon then, Alfred. You probably still need to sleep and keep hydrated." Arthur said, Alfred nodding against the other's shoulder.

"I'm thinkin' the floor's lookin' like a good option." Alfred said as he felt himself sagging more in Arthur's hold.

"No. You can't sleep there." Arthur said with an exasperated yet fond tone as he urged the other personification to his feet. Holding onto him as Alfred swayed, he waited a moment for the taller nation to get his bearings.

"I can sleep pretty much anywhere dude." Alfred said, surprised when it earned a chuckle from Arthur. The British man continued to guide Alfred back out into the hall and towards the elevators.

"I am aware of that Alfred, I did raise you." Arthur said. "But I think getting you back to bed and with an IV strapped to you is a better option." He continued, Alfred wincing occasionally as they went too fast for him.

"Nah, I might have broken a few more things in that room. I kinda panicked at first." Alfred said as he sheepishly looked to Arthur, only to receive a fond smile as Arthur looked back at him. Alfred tightened his hold as the elevator bounced a little once they arrived, feeling a little dizzy. But Arthur held him upright, and the two slowly made their way back over to the room with Arthur muttering things for Alfred to do to help keep him upright or to tell him if he needed to stop again. They were almost back to his room when Matthew was suddenly holding onto Alfred.

"Oh, Al…" Matthew said as he hugged his brother tightly. "You were gone and then you were _gone_. And Francis and I didn't know where Arthur went and it was chaos and….oh, you're in big trouble!" Matthew said, Alfred lightly laughing a little as his brother scolded him while checking him over himself as Francis came running down the hall.

"Mon dieu…what sort of magic did you perform this time Angletterre? Necromancy is hardly…" Francis started to say as he stared in wonder at Alfred.

"Relax. No voodoo zombies here." Alfred said as he shot what he hoped was his usual Hollywood smile toward Francis in an attempt to have the other ease up on both him and Arthur. "I just, may have _possibly_ , overreacted a little earlier and pulled on all the wires attached to me. I mean, it was like the Matrix or somethin'." He tried to joke but Francis only rolled his eyes, making room when Arthur barked to him to move, mentioning how heavy America was compared to some. Alfred sighed at the jab to his weight again, but he was maneuvered back into his bed and was more than happy at how comfortable the hospital bed felt after that mini-excursion.

"Thanks for being there you guys." Alfred said, sighing as he reclined back into the bed. "I really appreciate everything you know." He said, getting looks of understanding from the three other blondes in the room.

"Oui. Of course you would enjoy being in these hands." Francis said, holding up his hands and making a gesture accompanied by an eyebrow wiggle that had Arthur squabbling with him in minutes.

"You sure you're not…um…." Matthew started to ask as Arthur and Francis tossed arguments back and forth as usual. Alfred laughed as he turned his head to face his brother directly.

"What? About to buy the farm?" Alfred asked in the hopes of making things more lighthearted. But at Matthew's grief-stricken expression at the thought after experiencing what had happened, Alfred reached out to hold his brother's hand. "Matt, I'll be fine in no time. I…I think I figured out whatever was causing those nightmares and they should be done now. All I need to do is get myself something to drink and some pills for this headache that just won't go away." He said as he rubbed his forehead. "Yours go away yet? I thought I heard that you were sick too." Alfred said, Matthew nodding to him.

"Yeah, it's mostly gone. I think the pressure system for that particular storm has moved on." Matthew said with a shrug. "I caught one of those stomach bugs though and ended up in here with you. I didn't move from that bed." Matthew said as he gestured to the now vacant bed. "That way I was nearby for you. Although it was probably your fault I caught it in the first place with having to drag you out of that bathroom." Matthew said with a smirk.

"Ugh…sure, blame America. Everybody loves to blame America." Alfred said with an eye roll as he and brother shared a laugh before Matthew crawled into the bed beside his brother. "I'm not sure I say it enough, but I love ya Mattie." Alfred said as he hugged his twin.

"I know Alfred. I love you too." Matthew said, chuckling again as his brother yawned. "I'm so glad you've made such a recovery. The doctors told us your body was just shutting down." Matthew said as they watched Arthur and Francis scuffle as Francis attempted to show Arthur the proper way to hold another person. Arthur flailed as he tried to get Francis away, Alfred briefly wondering if he needed to say something soon.

"Yeah…I think I was dyin', Matt." Alfred said as his eyes glazed over in thought. "I…wow…I was. I think I saw that reaper again. It…it reached out and touched me. Like this." Alfred said, demonstrating on his brother. Matthew's eyes widened and Alfred could feel his brother's pulse quicken. "I thought I was a goner for sure that time, but he told me to take I wasn't taking care of this or, no…what was it…" Alfred said as he was lost in thought, Matthew gently pulling his brother's hand off of his chest.

"Well…don't worry about that. I'll help." Matthew said, earning a loving smile from Alfred who squeezed his brother's hand as Matthew hadn't let go. "Must be all those hamburgers." Matthew said after a moment, a teasing smile on his face.

"Dude! Seriously? Not you too. There's nothing wrong with my all-American food." Alfred said as he defended himself, swatting playfully at his brother's curl.

"Didn't hamburgers start off in Germany?" Matthew teased right back, slapping away his brother's hands.

"No. Not the way I make 'em. And not just the McDonald version either." Alfred said, feeling the exhaustion catching up with him as he wasn't able to block one of Matthew's soft swings and got a smack to his cheek.

"Oh, sorry aboot that, eh?" Matthew said as he stopped his movements to let Alfred rub his cheek. "Want us to go?" He asked, but Alfred shook his head and instead reached out for his twin. Matthew was more than happy to comply, mindful of the IV while it seemed Francis and Arthur were coming down from their usual scuffles.

"Hey." Alfred mumbled when the two Europeans put their attention back on Alfred, the American leaning his face on his brother's shoulder. "Ugh…I feel awful…" Alfred said as he nuzzled his brother.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have tried climbing up to the chapel as soon as you woke up, hmm?" Arthur reminded the other man, but Alfred just waved him off lethargically. "Yeah, yeah…love you too bro…" He said as his eyes shut and he gave out a soft snore from his sleeping position.

Arthur's eyes went wide as he registered what Alfred had said before a small smile spread along his face. But seeing that Matthew and Francis were shooting him knowing smiles of their own he quickly replaced that look with one he hoped was more like his typical neutral face. Seeing how Francis kept smirking at him, Arthur scoffed before muttering under his breath and walking out of the room.


	24. Chapter 24

Alfred remained in the hospital begrudgingly for another few days for the doctors to be sure that he was keeping hydrated to avoid another relapse. But with Alfred confident that he had pushed through what was really blocking his ability to let his naturally fast-healing body heal, he was more vocal about his complaints to get up and move around again. But he did manage to avoid breaking anything else, due in large part to Matthew and Arthur's actions as Francis typically stayed away in fear of Alfred potentially ruining any of his own things.

"I appreciate the offer Arthur, I really do, but I can rest up on my own at home just as I'd do here." Alfred said as he gathered up his things to carry out of the hospital, minus a wine bottle that had been consumed earlier on. Francis had made a significant dent in it, but when the trio had returned to find it empty, Alfred had to deal with another round of Arthur's admonishments when he didn't believe that it was the reaper who'd partaken of the last bits. Alfred hadn't been awake for that, and knew that it could have just as likely been anyone in the hospital, but Arthur had shaken his head at the supposed actions of Alfred while Francis had merely laughed. Not even his argument that Arthur had once considered certain drinks medicinal had held ground with the British personification who immediately retorted that Alfred was thinking of brandy, not wine. This had started another argument over the merits of wine between Arthur and Francis and Alfred had been left to talk over them with his brother.

"Alfred, you know you'd just sit in front of the television and play those ridiculous games of yours." Arthur argued back as they made their way out of the hospital.

"So? I'd still be doin' what the doctors suggested. But I'm…" Alfred continued to argue, even as they reached Arthur's car and got inside. "What about my boss? I haven't spoken with him yet about anything so I should probably…" He continued, trying to appeal to the other man's sense of responsibility.

"Matthew's taking care of that." Arthur said, effectively shutting up the American man. "He couldn't get another flight so since he's back in his home. He'll be tying up loose ends there before he heads back here. You'll be seeing him in about a week or so." Arthur said as he pulled out and began to make his way to his house.

"A week? Come on, bro, what am I supposed to do around your house for a week if you won't actually let me _do_ anything?" Alfred whines, reclining his seat back a little to get comfortable. "I won't even have the usual shows you and Francis put on to entertain me."

"Ha ha…" Arthur muttered, not taking his eyes off the road. "Francis is just across the channel and while he offered to, ahem, 'nurture you back to full health', I took the liberty of declining for you." Arthur said, hearing a muffled thanks coming from his passenger seat. "But I'm sure he'll pop up sooner or later now that the drama seems to be over. It is, isn't it? You're not keeping anything to yourself this time, are you?" Arthur asked with a quick glance to Alfred, but the other man made a questionable sound as though not sure himself.

"Bro, you know I still would've been fine at home. Tony's there and he's pretty good with taking care of me…sorta….he's still learning about human anatomy after all these years. I've had a few, um, _unpleasant_ wake ups when he was trying to 'help'." Alfred said, Arthur grimacing at the thought of that creepy gray creature that roomed in one of Alfred's houses. Alfred kept up with using the term 'bro' more often with Arthur than was typical if it was slang, just to see if the other might respond, but so far there had only been the usual reprimands to speak properly. With that comment still lingering in the air, the rest of the car ride was mostly silent as the two eventually pulled up to Arthur's house.

"Huh…" Alfred said as he got out and grabbed his things, looking over the house. "Thought it'd be more like a castle or somethin'." He said as he followed Arthur up to the front door.

"Honestly Alfred. It's the twenty-first century and you expect me to be in a drafty caste?" Arthur asked with a smile on his face. Alfred shrugged as he entered the large house, sighing as he spotted the couch and immediately plopping down onto it.

"Don't mean you can't live in one. There are some in my home too that people have brought over from Europe or built to look like them." Alfred said as he curled up on the couch. "Wicked awesome too." He said with a yawn while Arthur continued to chuckle.

"Maybe next time I'll show you one of my other houses then. If I can stand you for the next week." Arthur said, smirking as Alfred mumbled behind a pillow that it was Arthur's own fault for setting such a large stretch of time for Alfred's imprisonment.

For the next few days, Alfred and Arthur were able to get along decently with only a few arguments that weren't as lighthearted as their usual back and forth conversations went. Food and television seemed to be the main topics of discussion on the fourth night as Arthur tried to determine if something was bothering Alfred other than his desire to be active again.

"So, I thought I'd surprise you but I will undoubtedly mess up what you would call an order…so, would you like me to run to McDonald's for supper tonight?" Arthur tried to subtly ask, but at the way Alfred's eyes widened, he knew he'd botched that up.

"Uh…that…that's real nice of you bro but…you don't need to do that." Alfred said, sitting up from his cocoon of blankets he'd trapped himself in on the couch. As a part of trying to get Alfred to talk with him, not that the American ever really shut up and certainly wasn't as quiet as his twin, Arthur had caved and put in one of the few scary movies he had in his house. He'd threatened more documentaries to get Alfred to not be so stubborn and just let Arthur take care of him, but he'd noticed that Alfred had seemed more lost in thought lately.

"Alfred, I know you're not overly fond of my cooking – even though you were perfectly fine with it when you were younger…" Arthur said, stopping himself from going off into a tangent at the look on Alfred's face.

"Only 'cuz there are some really disgusting recipes here dude." Alfred said as he made a face in disgust. "Like that one with the sheep intestines all bunched up and put on a plate. Eww…" Alfred said, Arthur sighing and hanging his head.

"That my brother Scott's dish and it's called hagas, twit." Arthur explained, only half expecting Alfred to listen. "But I'll admit I don't' have the stomach for it either." He said, Alfred's face scrunching up as though to hold back laughter. But the American gave in and laughed loudly a couple of times.

"Oh, dude…did you seriously just hit me with a bad pun? Stomach for it, ha ha ha, 'cuz it's the sheep's stomach. Ha ha ha…" Alfred laughed, Arthur smiling and laughing once as he realized what he'd said.

"But seriously, Alfred…" Arthur said in an attempt to get the other's focus back on the previous topic. "I know you don't like all of my cooking but you haven't been eating much. Drinking, yes, but you're starting to look a little pale again. I can go get you something you'd prefer…" Arthur suggested, motioning over to the door as he expected Alfred to readily agree with him after he'd called the other man out on his finicky eating habits.

"No, I'm just…I'm fine Arthur. You make a decent-enough dinner that I can scrape the burnt parts off of." Alfred said, reclining against the side of the couch.

"Well thank you Alfred for your most touching compliment, but you still need to eat." Arthur said, an idea coming into his mind. He left Alfred with a confused look on his face and went to one of his closets, letting out a triumphant sound as he spotted the first aid tools he'd had for several years. He was certain that it was outdated by now, but Alfred might not be aware of that and that was all Arthur would need. He took a deep breath to call on all his spy and actor skills before coming back into the room to sit beside Alfred on the couch.

"Alright…You've seemed to have lost your appetite and I know you'd rather not go back to the hospital." He began, satisfied when Alfred stopped pretending to ignore him at that last comment. "So, I can look you over." He said, holding the bag of items he'd grabbed from his closet. "I'm not as well versed as Lithuania but I've learned from experience over the years." He said, not entirely lying. Alfred's eyes widened almost comically as he scooted away from the other man. Arthur had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing at the panic on the other personification's face. "Unless you'd prefer to just talk to me?" He suggested as a last attempt before having to continue with his act. At the emphatic shake of Alfred's head, Arthur sighed and pulled out the stethoscope. He had some basic idea of what to look for, but he was counting on Alfred to crack at some point and just tell him. He'd gotten close when Alfred had insisted on cuddling with him after the scary movie had ended, but he'd gotten a taste of Alfred's strength and spent most of the time trying to keep Alfred from crushing him on accident.

"No way, bro." Alfred said, reaching for the covers, but Arthur was quicker and had pulled them down to the floor. "There ain't a thing wrong with me 'cept you tryin' a little too hard to get me to eat apparently."

Arthur rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance. "There's nothing wrong with you except for your speech perhaps. But still, if you won't just tell me…" He started to say but Alfred interrupted as he continued to tug on the blanket.

"No…Look, I'll have one of those things you call crumpets later, alright?" Alfred tried to bargain with Arthur. "Aren't you always tellin' me I need to cut back anyway?" He said, gaining more blanket as Arthur's grip surprised him by going slack.

"Is that what's going on here?" Arthur asked in a more concerned tone, sincerity in his question as he looked to Alfred. Alfred huffed but shrugged his shoulders as he readjusted on the couch. "You've decided to what? Stop eating now that the doctors told you not to take those ridiculous pills?" Arthur asked, trying to not sound angry with the other man.

"No. That's not it, but thanks for reminding me of how spectacularly that went." Alfred said, letting the blankets fall back into his lap.

"Well, then, I'm going to have to look you over since you're not being clear with me." Arthur said, but was surprised when Alfred shrugged again and tried to call Arthur's bluff.

"Go ahead bro." Alfred said, Arthur eyeing him suspiciously as he thought over how the American personification could hold quite a poker face when he tried. Arthur thought it would at least be hilarious if he surprised Alfred, even if the other wouldn't be forthcoming with talking to him. He waited until it looked like Alfred had eased up under the assumption that Arthur had backed off, reclining back and closing his eyes. Arthur then quickly pulled up Alfred's shirt and placed the cold metal of the stethoscope on Alfred's chest, the other man's eyes flying open and hand flailing to smack Arthur's hand away.

"No, no…" Alfred said, Arthur chuckling at Alfred's over-the-top reaction. "I'm…I'm fine. Or I will be. Just stop." Alfred said as he pulled his shirt down, piquing Arthur's worry.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur said, placing the stethoscope next to him on the couch. He hadn't even had the earpiece in at the time, but Alfred didn't seem to realize that detail. "Alfred, what are you keeping from me?" He asked, Alfred fidgeting on the couch.

"I'm sorry…" Alfred said. "I'm just…trying to piece things together. I don't want you to…" Alfred started to say before mumbling into the blanket. Arthur sighed but pulled the blanket away, shooting a look to Alfred to repeat what he was saying. "Ugh…I sorta remember that last dream when I was pretty sure I was gonna die and there was somethin' really important I can't help but feel I was supposed to pass onto you." Alfred said, Arthur shifting a little on the couch to give Alfred some space. "Like, I remember running – a lot of being chased by something to the point I thought my chest was gonna burst or somethin'." Alfred said, Arthur nodding to encourage Alfred to say something else.

"Yes. On this end we could tell something was the matter. Of course, the doctors said they were panic attacks or night terrors strong enough to have you gasping for air." Arthur said, not looking enthused to recall those experiences.

"And there was the reaper again at some point and…I told Mattie but I'm working on recalling things. I'll be fine…just need to drink more or something." Alfred said, but Arthur wasn't letting the other man stall to the point where he had left before saying anything. Normally Alfred wasn't the best at keeping quiet, but Arthur knew the other could definitely find a way to stall when he was uncomfortable or was trying to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation.

"Well then, why don't you let me look you over, just to humor me?" Arthur said, keeping up the act to at least get Alfred to do more than drink, knowing that the other man needed something else. He placed the earpiece in and made as though to return to examining Alfred. But Alfred grabbed one of the pillows to block Arthur's movements.

"Stop…" Alfred said, looking down, "…that's…that's where the problem is." He said, looking guiltily to Arthur. The British man tried to understand what the other meant, his confusion evident on his face before he pulled the pillow away and placed the metal piece on Alfred before the other could protest. Alfred stiffened and Arthur wondered what could possibly be making Alfred so tense and anxious, but Alfred yanked the stethoscope out of his hands and tossed it across the room.

"Alfred, you idiot! What was that all about?!" Arthur grumbled as he got up to fetch the thing, Alfred hurriedly turning onto his side and covering himself with a blanket. "I'm just trying to help you, ungrateful git!" He said, huffing in frustration. He was putting things back together to return to the closet, grumbling to Alfred about how childish he was being, before a thought suddenly occurred to him that halted his motions. "Alfred…what did you mean, that's where the problem is?" He asked, but the only answer from the American was the shaking of the blanket. "Alfred…" He began again but Alfred huffed and held the blankets tighter.

"Fine. Be that way." Arthur said in frustration. "How very mature of you America. I don't know why I bother." He said, grabbing his bag and storming off, determined to confront Alfred later. He figured it might be possible to get him to be in more of a conversing mood after another scary movie, although he did wonder why Alfred was so afraid of ghosts in those films when he apparently could see grim reapers. Arthur sighed, thinking that Alfred probably never realized he was seeing ghosts when he saw them unless they looked like that thing he'd seen through Matthew's glasses. And while he commended Alfred for any possible effort on the other's part to try and use those films as an education of sorts on ghosts, he knew that Alfred only ended up scaring himself with possibilities of what he may also run into _. It's no wonder he gets so worked up with the thought that he might one day run into one of those cheap horror film monsters_ , Arthur thought as he made his way to the kitchen to try and make something Alfred would deem edible. As he did, his phone rang, the phone registering the call as Matthew. He made small talk with the other nation as Matthew informed Arthur of everything he did so he could relay it to Alfred, including his plans to visit England's house.

"Matthew, I tried to get your brother to talk to me about what's been bothering him. He mentioned that he's been trying to piece together those horrible dreams he had while under the curse." Arthur said as he moved about the kitchen. "I'm still not certain how he broke it but if anyone could find an entirely unique way of doing so, it would be America." He said, Matthew laughing in agreement at Alfred's personality.

"Absolutely, eh. But is there something wrong?" Matthew asked, picking up on the way Arthur spoke when he was leading into a question. At Arthur's prompting, Matthew relayed everything that he knew of Alfred's experience with the curse.

Alfred watched out of the corner of his eye, Arthur reenter the room with the phone to his ear. He heard him thanking someone and then hanging up before he closed the remaining distance between him and Alfred. He roughly pulled Alfred's blanket off of him as Alfred protested, calling him a crotchety old man and reaching for it back.

"Up. We're going back to the hospital." Arthur said as he struggled to pull the taller and stronger nation to his feet. Even though Alfred had been ill and his strength slightly diminished, he was more than a match for Arthur in their game of tug-of-war.

"What? No way man. Not cool." Alfred said as he protested. "Your place is in the middle of nowhere anyway and it'd take forever. I don't _need_ to go back. Paranoia is gettin' to ya along with those hallucinations dude." He said, giving a sharper tug and ending up with Arthur in his lap.

"You're going back because I say so." Arthur said. "Good God man! Do you think this is some sort of game I enjoy playing with you? Why can't you follow anything through to the end?" He ranted, standing up and taking a few steps away from Alfred, who had stilled at hearing Arthur quote himself from a day long ago. "I just talked with Matthew and he told me what you said the reaper did. Alfred, you _can't hide_ something like a _heart condition_ and expect it to just go away." Arthur said turning back around. Alfred was staring at him in a way that made Arthur think the other was about to start crying.

"Dude that's it!" Alfred said, jolting to his feet. "That's what I was trying to remember!" Alfred said, running a hand through his hair and laughing boisterously at his epiphany.

"You forgot?! Alfred I knew that head of yours had more air in it than most others, but that's not something you just….oomphf" Arthur was saying incredulously, only to be cut off as Alfred wrapped his arms around him. "Wha…What's this?" Arthur asked.

"It's called a hug, silly Britain!" Alfred said, feeling and hearing Arthur sigh against him in dissatisfaction at the response. "You need more hugs so you don't feel cold. Then you'd be like Ivan…" he said, shivering at the thought.

"Excuse me? I am _not_ cold." Arthur said, struggling to get out of Alfred's tight grip. Alfred laughed again, Arthur both frustrated and a little relieved at hearing it sounding more like his usual level of obnoxiousness.

"Not _you_ you, but the other you. The one you made as part of that curse." Alfred said, Arthur looking at him in complete confusion. "I mean, those nightmares were my own at the start but there was always this smoke or fog and by the time I was stuck in the last one, I realized that I was sharing it with _something_ else." Alfred said, Arthur successfully managing to guide Alfred over to the couch. Based on the way Arthur was looking at him, Alfred tried to rush through the rest of what he recalled before the other man called an ambulance to take Alfred to an asylum.

"Look, you never told me what your curse really ended up being, but it was like my body, well, _mind,_ subconsciously recognized an intruder's mind – or part of a mind, the part that has all the nightmares – and it was fighting it off." Alfred said, finally releasing Arthur as he gestured with his hands as he spoke. "Yeah, and so I was replaying certain memories or things I'd seen before and then putting whatever was bothering you, and me I guess sometimes, into the dream. Took forever to figure out and it was only a last minute thing thanks to what the reaper said to me." He said to Arthur before looking away and bringing a hand up to his chin in thought, head cocked and cowlick bouncing.

"I wonder if it really did visit and actually said those things. I could hear Matthew at one point talking to me so I'd bet it could've done the same. But I heard your voice and that's what I needed to hear to put it all together. And all I needed to do was share that warmth I got from your voice with that lizard-alien version of you that I came up with as something to face off against." He said, Arthur looking offended that Alfred would visualize him as an alien monster. Alfred could see that on his face, laughing a few times and deciding to leave for later the detail about the feelers over the creature's eyes that helped give it away. "So I'm sharing the warmth with you in case you're still upset. Hug-time!" He finished unexpectedly, launching himself at Arthur once again and encasing him in a tight hug.

Arthur sputtered a few times in protest before smiling gently and letting Alfred hold him for a little longer. Surprisingly, Arthur found that he didn't mind overly much the show of affection and the good intentions behind Alfred's actions, so long as the hug didn't last too long like Alfred always managed to do. Arthur had seriously begun to suspect that Alfred wasn't going to let go until the next day before Alfred's stomach made its emptiness known and Arthur returned to making dinner. They ended up watching another movie Alfred had requested, Arthur unable to answer his phone when Alfred's grip on him didn't let up, the other man following him later on into his bedroom under the excuse of making sure that Arthur wasn't too scared from the movie. Arthur merely groaned a little but scooted over in his bed to make room for Alfred, the bed bouncing at the hardly gentle entry of the American personification. Arthur had been falling asleep when he heard Alfred quietly whisper a good night to Arthur before snores reached him from the other side of the bed. Arthur smiled as he heard that, less irritated than usual when Alfred predictably rolled over on top of him in his sleep. He petted the other's hair, knowing that he probably wouldn't be admitting aloud to anyone his thoughts and feelings toward Alfred as anything remotely resembling brotherly. He figured Alfred, who'd been annoyingly trying to get Arthur to say something about that topic, would understand that there was a reason their partnership was called a 'special relationship'. Sure, there were other 'special relationships', but Arthur was content with the knowledge that saying it once was enough for Alfred to remember that he did care for him despite their arguments and occasional misfire of a curse. But apparently Feliciano's original suggestion to solve their problems with a hug was all that was needed. Unfortunately, a warm hug was the farthest thing from Arthur's mind when he woke up to the sound of a camera going off and seeing Francis standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face – Arthur knew he should've answered that call – but Alfred's smile in his sleep was worth the blackmail. After all, as a result of all this, Arthur _was_ planning on going through his spell books once more.


End file.
